


Frozen In Time

by Beautiful_Nightmare



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, red queen ouat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-13 00:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 55,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12971880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_Nightmare/pseuds/Beautiful_Nightmare
Summary: Set two years before the curse breaks, Ruby and Regina share a true love's kiss and Ruby remembers everything.I suck at summaries, sorry.





	1. Chapter 1

June 2009

Pulling Regina into her arms Ruby giggled as she held the woman against her, the warm night air making her flush slightly.  Their flirting had gone up a level after the Mayor decided to visit the diner before closing knowing she would be the only person there, hoping to tease the leggy brunette, while Henry was off on an overnight summer school excursion. 

Regina had told Ruby that she had a great arse and delightful legs, especially when she wore her red mini shorts and Ruby being Ruby, she decided to flip the coin and straddle the mayor.  Ruby teased Regina mercilessly, running her nails over smooth skin, digging in slightly and calming the red marks with her tongue before getting up and acting as if nothing happened, leaving the woman sitting there, flushed from her actions.  Once it hit closing and the cleaning was done Ruby offered to walk Regina home.

She held Regina’s hand the entire way, gently making circles with her thumb against the shorter woman’s skin, feeling as if she belonged for the first time in what felt like forever.  All Ruby wanted to do was kiss the woman next to her but she restrained herself, for now.  They made it to the front door on Mifflin and Regina raised an eyebrow seductively and asked her to come in for a glass of iced tea and things went from there, how could she possibly have said no.

They were in the kitchen with all the windows open, letting out the heat of the day.  Regina was wrapped in Ruby’s arms and they were both laughing, Ruby making corny jokes about being the mayor and having to order in useless stock from outside for some of the businesses in town.  Regina giggled at the accuracy of them and felt herself being drawn into the woman in front of her who was slowly walking toward her, hips swaying hypnotically. 

Regina’s back bumped up against the wall and Ruby smiled at her mischievously.  Hands going to Ruby’s hips, Regina pulled the taller woman to her taking charge for the brief moment.  Soft, warm lips touched hers and she felt a spark igniting inside of her, pulling back she looked into bright green eyes, automatically knowing what the spark meant from years upon years of reading everything magic and it scared the ever-loving shit out of her.

“What’s wrong Regina?” Ruby asked as her eyebrows furrowed as she looked into wide, scared, brown eyes.

“Nothing is wrong it’s just that I don’t want to hurt you and I fear that I will be by starting this with you.  I’ll hurt you somehow and that’s the last thing I want,” Regina honestly said, hoping that Ruby would understand without her having to go into detail and reveal their past lives in the Enchanted Forest.

“I don’t think you’ll hurt me, you’re a wonderful person Regina and just now as I kissed you I felt something stirring deep down inside of me and all I want to do is kiss you again and hold you in my arms,” Ruby replied, softly cupping Regina’s face with her hand, hoping to sooth the shorter woman.

“I felt it too, I’m not a good person Ruby and I don’t want to bring you down with me,” Regina tried, feeling that telling Ruby how she views herself would help.  Also fearing that once they kissed Ruby may somehow remember who she really is.  The wolf everyone feared and the best friend of Snow White, the person who ruined her life.

“Regina, you’re wonderful, you’re a good person, you’re a good mum, you’re a good mayor, don’t put yourself down.  I think you’re absolutely amazing and you’ve got this air of authority about you which is captivating,” Ruby said, reassuring the shorter woman in front of her, brushing a loose piece of hair to behind Regina’s ear.

“You’re too good for me,” Regina replied quietly before raising an eyebrow when she noticed the smirk on Ruby’s face.

“I’m just right for you,” Ruby responded, leaning into Regina and softly placing a row of small kisses on Regina’s neck.

Moaning softly, Regina closed her eyes and tightened her grip around Ruby.  Feeling the kisses trailing up the side of her neck she parted her lips in anticipation of what was to come and she didn’t have to wait long, forgetting all of her insecurities.  Soft lips found hers, gently kissing her until she deepened it, fireworks exploded behind her eyelids, sparks ignited deep from within her and she couldn’t resist them.  She felt fulfilled and like nothing else mattered, she felt wrapped in a kind of fuzzy warmth like no other and she instinctively knew Ruby felt the same way.

Having all her memories from the Enchanted Forest return to her in one hit, mixing with the ones she had made over the last twenty six years in Storybrooke, she broke the kiss and looked at Regina, her head spinning, feeling a mix of lust, betrayal, and contentment.  The anger quickly grew inside of her once her memories settled down and took over, she shoved Regina into the wall and started to pace in front of the shorter woman, flexing out her hands.

“How could you?!  I remember, I remember everything your Majesty.  How dare you?  Do you even feel any remorse for your actions?” Ruby started to yell, feeling her senses returning to somewhat how they used to be.

“I did it because I wanted to,” Regina spat out, gingerly moving away from the wall, her back objecting as pain shot down her from her shoulders along her spine, Ruby definitely had more strength that she did twenty minutes ago.

Feeling her anger boil over at that statement and the tone in which it was said, Ruby bitch slapped Regina hard and glared at her, “I did that because I wanted to, too.”

“Ruby, please, calm down,” Regina began, holding her cheek, taking a deep breath in and trying to be as calm as possible even though she now had a stinging face to add to her list of sore spots.

“I’m not going to calm down, I want answers!” Ruby screamed, making Regina recoil.

“Okay, I feel plenty of remorse for my actions but at the end of the day I don’t regret the curse.  I’ve had twenty six years to replay the same scenario over and over again and if it wasn’t for the curse I would never have found you or adopted Henry and for that I don’t regret it,” Regina answered, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

“You don’t regret finding me?  You were more than capable of finding me in the Enchanted Forest, you were literally hunting my best friend, it wouldn’t have been hard,” Ruby spat out, squaring Regina up.  “You have absolutely none of your magic here, if you did you would have used it by now and I have my strength and hearing, I could crush you if I wanted to.”

“You are right, I have nothing, crushing me would be the kind thing to do.  I hurt you all and I deserve to be tortured,” Regina honestly said, coming to the realisation suddenly, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked into Ruby’s green eyes.

Watching the anguish and defeat cross Regina’s face, Ruby felt her heart break for the woman in front of her.  She took a step forward and enveloped the shorter woman into a warm embrace, all her negative feelings forgotten.  “Regina, don’t say that, no matter what no one deserves to be tortured.  You have Henry and now you have me too, even if I am angry with you currently.”

“Why would you be here for me, it doesn’t make sense?” Regina queried, not understanding how she could be yelled at and threatened one second and being hugged the next.

“Because of what just happened, you told me whilst without my memories of my true self than you didn’t want to do anything to hurt me and it’s the last thing you wanted to do.  To me that shows me that you care, and I was the one to kiss you after you said that because I wanted to, I still want to.  I know what true love’s kiss can do and it’s the only explanation for why I got my memories back.  You’re my true love and you can try to deny it all you want but I doubt it will work,” Ruby smiled, hugging Regina tighter, feeling the woman relax into her.

“I still don’t want to hurt you in any way and I fear I have.  And I’m not going to deny it, true love is the only reason why you have your memories back, I’m just shocked.  Storybrooke is without magic so I’m surprised it even worked at all.  There must have been just enough magic left in the air or in us for it to work in a very small area,” Regina tried to reason, not liking that she didn’t have the answers she wanted.

Releasing Regina, Ruby sat at the kitchen table and motioned for Regina to join her.  “Is there anyone else here in Storybrooke that kept all of their memories from the Enchanted Forest?”

“Me, Jefferson, and at times I think Sidney may remember but I’m not sure,” Regina truthfully responded, feeling guilt wash over her because of her actions. 

“Okay, okay, now that I have my memories back, what am I supposed to do?  I’m still angry at you but I’d like to know.”

“Just continue how you usually would, go to work, interact with Granny, and be your wonderful self,” Regina answered, her heart suddenly racing, experiencing way too many feelings for one night.

“I may change a few things with how I dress and actually cover up, can’t have everything on display now that I’ve found my one true love, can I?” Ruby responded, smiling at Regina, hoping to calm the woman in front of her down.

“I rather liked what you wore,” Regina admitted, blushing up to her ears.

“I know you did, I saw you checking me out every day, and you only did admit to me not even an hour ago that I have delightful legs and a great arse,” Ruby winked, trying to see how red Regina could go.

“I’m sorry for what I did to you,” Regina blurted out, guilt still washing over her.  “I was selfish and didn’t think of others, I was so stupid.”

“Regina, you have plenty of time to think about your actions, but I’m grateful for your apology, thank you.  I’m also sorry I slapped you, that must have hurt,” Ruby responded, reaching out and holding the dark eyed woman’s hand.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Regina finally asked, expecting her head to have been torn off by now.

“Because you’re my true love and I believe that everyone deserves a second chance.  I had feelings for you before the curse was cast but couldn’t do or say anything about them.  While under the curse I wanted nothing more than to push you against a wall and kiss you, I fell for you hard.  Now that I have all of my memories back all I want to do is yell at you, kiss you, and hold you in my arms and tell you it’s going to be okay,” Ruby said, running her thumb over the back of Regina’s hand.

“I would really like it if it was going to be okay, once the curse breaks I fear that the entire town will turn on me and they’ll literally try to burn me at the steak, this town is literally frozen in time so to speak,” Regina replied, letting out some of her insecurities, feeling that she could trust Ruby.

“Regina, I would never let them do that to you,” Ruby reassured her, squeezing her hand.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you Ruby... or is it Red?” Regina asked, not sure.

“It’s Ruby, Red was always a nickname, I’m lucky that the curse let me keep my name,” Ruby replied, releasing Regina’s hand and standing up.

Standing up as well, Regina wondered what the taller woman was doing.  She watched as Ruby stretched and yawned at the same time.  “Maybe we should get some sleep, you’re tired,” Regina said, worried Ruby wasn’t getting the right amount of rest.

“That sounds good, I should probably go,” Ruby replied, looking into brown eyes as she jittered on the spot.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, I have a king sized bed that I’m happy to share,” Regina offered without thinking, anxious for a reply.

“Already trying to get me into your bed, you’re lucky you’re cute,” Ruby winked, pulling Regina to her and holding her tight, not wanting to let go.

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Reina replied, pulling back slightly so she could cup the back of Ruby’s neck with her hand and bring her in for a soft kiss.

Kissing Regina back, Ruby felt the spark ignite again tying her soul to the shorter woman’s, not wanting their intimate embrace to end.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

July 2009

Cool air blew around the room as Regina sat behind the desk in her home office.  To her left was a small pile of paperwork that she needed to file when she went into Town Hall next.  On her right was an empty plastic container that once held her lunch.  In front of her Ruby lounged on one of her large chairs, smiling brightly.

“Why are you so happy?” Regina asked, not understanding how some people could be so positive most of the time.

“Because I’m here with you and now when I bring you lunch during my shift I get rewarded with kisses and air conditioning and a small break instead of a smart remark and told or yelled at to leave,” Ruby replied, cracking her knuckles.

“If Henry wasn’t due home from school in half an hour and if you didn’t need to get back to work, I would have had a much more entertaining way of thanking you and showing you how sorry I am for being an arsehole,” Regina smirked, raising an eyebrow at the leggy brunette, knowing she wasn’t exactly the most pleasant person in their small town.

“Maybe you can show me next time you order lunch when I’m at work,” Ruby winked, getting up from her seat and walking over to Regina. 

“I might even order it an hour early just so I can see your pretty face,” Regina responded, watching as Ruby leant against her desk in close proximity to her.

“You can see my pretty face whenever you please except for the next couple of hours as I should be at work,” Ruby smirked, watching a slight frown appear on the brown eyed woman’s face.

Do you have to leave so soon?” Regina asked, turning slightly in her chair to face Ruby.

“I need to go back to work before Granny kills me,” Ruby replied, leaning in and gently kissing Regina on the lips.

“I can’t have Granny killing you now, can I?”  Before Ruby could respond Regina pulled the woman to her and their lips met in a heated kiss full of true love’s magic. Regina deepened their kiss, snaking a hand around the back of Ruby’s neck and playing with the soft hair she found here.  Biting down on the green eyed woman’s bottom lip, Regina heard a soft moan escape Ruby’s lips.

Breaking the kiss even though she didn’t want to, Ruby rested her forehead against Regina’s and let out a sigh of content.  “I need to finish my shift, I’ll see you later tonight my true love.”

“Okay, I’m making lasagne for dinner as I know you and Henry love it.  I’m having the talk with him too so hopefully it all goes well,” Regina replied, frowning at the loss of contact as Ruby stood up.

“Good luck with Henry, hopefully he doesn’t hate me afterward,” Ruby said, having forgotten that Regina mentioned having a talk with the young boy a few days back.

“Thanks, I’m going to need it,” Regina smiled, watching as Ruby stretched.

“You’ll do fine, call me once you’ve told him and I can even help you go over his responses, I’m going to head back now though, I’ll see you later,” Ruby responded, giving Regina a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Watching as the door closed behind the woman she had fallen for hard and fast, Regina took a deep breath in and tidied up her desk.  She removed the rubbish, placing it into the small bin beside the desk and neatened up the stack of paperwork, checking to make sure she didn’t miss stamping or signing anything.

Heading out of the office, Regina went into her bedroom and got changed into something more comfortable.  Her black slacks and suit jacket weren’t exactly summer clothing.  It was hot outside and the house was starting to warm up as the sun beamed down on it, the air conditioning barely keeping it at bay.

Hearing the front door open and close, Regina headed downstairs to greet her son.  “Hi Henry, how was school?”

“Hi Mum!” Henry beamed, dropping his backpack and running over to the woman, hugging her.  “School was good, today we had art and we got to paint and colour in.”

“That sounds like fun.  Do you mind if we sit down and have a talk once you get changed?”  Regina asked, feeling anxious.

“I’ll be back down in a minute,” Henry smiled, running up the stairs to change out of his school uniform.

Heading into the kitchen Regina picked up a couple of pieces of fruit and cut them up, arranging them onto a plate as she knew that Henry liked a snack when he got home.  Placing the dish on the table Regina sat down on one of the chairs, hearing Henry coming down the stairs a few minutes later.

“What did you want to talk about?” Henry asked, sitting down at the table and picking up a piece of pear.

“I need to tell you something,” Regina began, taking a second to swallow, a wave of anxiety hitting her as she watched Henry bite into another piece of pear.  “I know you’ve seen Ruby around here a fair bit and I just want you to know why.  Ruby and I have become very good friends and we really enjoy each other’s company and spending time together.  Sometimes we like to hold hands and cuddle too...”

“... Are you and Ruby dating?” Henry asked, knowing where his mother was trying to steer the conversation.

“Yes we are, and I wanted you to know before anyone else,” Regina replied, still surprised whenever Henry read her like an open book.

“How long have you been dating?” Henry asked, curious about the relationship.

“Five weeks and three days.  I wanted to tell you sooner but I needed to see how it would play out,” Regina responded, hoping that Henry wouldn’t be mad at her.

“Do you love Ruby?”  Biting into a piece of apple, Henry looked at the woman, his eyes wide.

Taking a moment to process the question, Regina knew that she knew the answer the second her lips touched Ruby’s.  “I do love her, she makes me strive to be a better a person and most of all she makes me so happy.”

“Good, I like Ruby she’s nice, she always gives me extra ice cream in my milkshake,” Henry replied, smiling at his mother.

“So, you’re okay with Ruby and I being together?” Regina asked, not expected the boy to react how he did.

“Of course I am, you love her and she loves you; can Ruby come over for dinner tonight?” Henry asked, picking up his last piece of fruit.

“She’s working the dinner rush at the diner but she’ll come over once she’s done,” Regina answered, taking the empty plate to the sink.

“Okay, can I please go outside and play?” Getting up from the table, Henry waited by the door frame.

“Of course you can Dear, go have some fun but don’t be out for too long with the heat,” Regina smiled, watching her son run out the back door.

Letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, Regina leant against the kitchen counter and breathed.  The talk with Henry went way better than she ever would have thought and he didn’t seem to mind about her relationship with Ruby at all.

Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she went into her messages and typed out a text to send to Ruby.

 _‘The talk went surprisingly well, I’ll tell you about it when you come over later, Henry was happy and asked when we would see you next.  Have a good shift xx.’_   Reading over her text, she wasn’t sure about the kisses but left them and hit send.

\---

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Ruby excused herself from a table of customers and handed the order slip to the kitchen staff.  “Hey Ash, can you please watch my tables?  I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Sure thing,” the other waitress replied, pulling out her order pad and greeting a customer.

Entering the small bathroom in the back of the break room, Ruby pulled her phone out and saw she had a text from Regina.  Opening it, she read it and grinned from ear to ear at the two kisses that were placed at the end.  She quickly typed back a reply, raising an eyebrow at her own antics, _‘That’s good! I’ll see you later tonight and thank you babe xx.’_   Ruby read and re-read over it and wondered if Regina would say anything about it and hit send.

Exiting the bathroom, Ruby almost ran into Granny.  “Sorry Granny,” she apologised, stepping around the older woman.

“Why are you grinning for?  You’re so giddy, what’s going on?” Granny asked, noticing the change in her granddaughter.

“Am I not allowed to be happy?  I won’t be home until late tonight either, Mayor Mills has asked me to watch Henry for her after my shift,” Ruby replied, hoping it was enough to get her grandmother off her case.

“Be happy by all means, and keep thinking to yourself that you’re going over there for Henry and not a certain dark eyed woman,” Granny responded, raising an eyebrow as she left the room.

Standing still on the spot, Ruby was shocked that Granny had picked up on her relationship with Regina.  Deciding that she would need to be more conservative around the older woman just to make sure that Regina was safe, she headed for the diner.  She knew that Granny didn’t like Regina very much, just like how she didn’t like Peter either, and Granny had threatened him with a loaded crossbow.  “Who knows what cursed Granny could come up with to hurt Regina,” Ruby thought to herself, grateful that most customers had cleared out bar one or two small families.

“I think it’s too hot for people to venture out,” Ashley said, noticing their lack of customers.

“Let’s hope it stays like this, less work for us to do,” Ruby replied, smiling at the woman.

“Ruby, since it’s so quiet, I would like your help back here,” Granny said from the break room.

Entering the break room, Ruby saw Granny sitting at the table with the books out in front of her.  “How can I help?” she asked, not knowing what to expect.

“I’d like to show you how to do the books in case I’m ever sick and they need to be done,” Granny explained, pulling out the chair next to her.

Sitting down next to Granny, Ruby listened as the older woman explained what each book was used for and how to use it.  Asking questions to make sure she understood what was being told to her, she smiled at how Granny trusted her enough to show her the inner works of the diner.

Having an invoice book placed in front of her, Granny told her that she was confident that she’d be able to fill it in correctly.  Not wanting to let her grandmother down Ruby took her time and entered all the information, referencing the paperwork she had in front of her from stock order receipts to pay slips.

She didn’t know how long had passed before she noticed her phone vibrate.  Pulling it out, she noticed the time and that she was meant to finish work ten minutes ago.  She had two unread messages, both from Regina, she could tell the older woman was worried about her as she hadn’t replied to her earlier message and she guessed that Regina wanted to know if she was okay.  Sending a quick text back, she got up and found Granny, wanting to know if it was okay to leave.

Getting her belongings, Ruby went to the bathroom, grabbed a quarter of a chocolate cake, and headed for Regina’s house on Mifflin.

\---

Looking at the clock, Regina waited, sat at the bottom of the stairs, her foot tapping against the hardwood floor.  She could hear the shower running, knowing that Henry was getting ready for bed.

Hearing a knock at the door, Regina got up and walked as quickly as she could, opening the door in one swift movement.  Seeing Ruby standing their smiling, she didn’t realise how worried she was until her true love was in front of her.

“I brought chocolate cake,” Ruby said, smiling at Regina, holding the box up.  “Sorry I’m late, I lost track of time.”

“As long as you’re here, that’s all that matters,” Regina replied, taking the offered cake and letting Ruby inside. 

Heading into the kitchen, Regina placed the box out of sight and turned around, hugging Ruby.  “I missed you,” she said, standing on her tippy toes and placing a gentle kiss on Ruby’s lips.

“I missed you too,” Ruby replied, feeling her entire body relax.  “How’d the talk with Henry go?”

“It went well, he’s happy with us together, he actually guessed it too,” Regina responded, hearing Ruby’s stomach rumble.  “Have you eaten?”

“I forgot to, Granny was teaching me the books and it didn’t occur to me,” Ruby replied, noticing Henry enter the kitchen.

“Hi Ruby,” Henry greeted, sitting at the table.

“Hey kiddo,” Ruby smiled, her stomach loudly rumbling again.

“Sit at the table and I’ll heat you up some lasagne,” Regina said, moving to the fridge.

“I’d like some chocolate cake too please Mum, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet and I can smell it,” Henry cheekily grinned, looking at Ruby.

“You’re lucky you’re cute Mister,” Regina replied, placing a slice of cake in front of the boy as the microwave heated up the lasagne.

Hearing the microwave ding after a few minutes, Ruby’s stomach loudly rumbled again, knowing what was to come.  Having the hot plate set down in front of her, Ruby thanked the dark eyed woman and stabbed the corner of the lasagne with her fork.

“It’s hot, be careful,” Regina cautioned, looking at the two people she cared about most sitting at the table in front of her.  “I’m going to go have a quick shower, you two behave.”

“Take your time, we’ll be fine,” Ruby said through a mouthful of food.

Waiting until Regina had ascended up the stairs, Henry put his fork down and looked at Ruby.

“Do you love my mum?” he asked.

Almost choking on a mouthful of food, Ruby swallowed and took a sip of water before she responded.  “I do Henry, I love her so much.”

“Good, she loves you too; she told me earlier, it might take her a while to tell you though.  Please don’t hurt my mum,” Henry replied, happy his mother had someone who loved her.

“Henry, I promise you that I will love your mum with my whole heart and do my best to make sure she’s happy,” Ruby responded, touched that Regina had such a wonderful child.

“Okay, good,” Henry replied, taking a large bite of cake.

Smiling at the boy’s attempt to fit most of it in his mouth at once, Ruby giggled and took another bite of her lasagne.  Feeling joyful that she had the blessing of the one person who mattered most to Regina, she knew deep down that they would be a tight, little, happy family and for the moment it felt like they were normal.

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

December 2009

The ice cold breeze blew against the semi frozen green leaves on the trees; the crescent moon was high in the night sky, shimmering against the reflective surfaces of the puddles on the ground from the rainfall they had earlier that day.  Ruby was enjoying the walk from the diner to Regina’s house.  She had finished a long shift, got changed into something comfortable and just wanted to lay curled up on the couch with her partner in her arms. 

It had been six months since she got her memories back thanks to true love’s kiss and every day was a small challenge for her, she was extremely lucky that the haze everyone was under made them forget some things rather easily, except for Henry as the curse only partially affected him.  She was absolutely sick of dealing with Dr. Whale and his antics; she didn’t know how she fended him and his advances off every day for twenty six years.  If Regina found out what he was doing, Ruby was sure he’d remember every word that came out of the mayor’s mouth for the rest of his life.  That was one of the things that Ruby loved about Regina, how the woman could articulate a perfectly formed group of sentences which would bring a person to their knees in a manner of seconds.

Stopping abruptly Ruby cringed and put a hand to her lower abdomen, she had a feeling in the pit of stomach which was off, and it felt like the Gordian knot from the tales of Alexander the Great was settled in the bottom of stomach, heavy and uncomfortable.  Looking around nothing stood out to her.  She could smell something, inhaling deeply she tried to connect the scent to a word or memory.  Sniffing the air again it smelt like winter in the small cabin she shared with Granny back in the Enchanted Forest, a scent which wasn’t common in Storybrooke.  Closing her eyes she concentrated on the smell, having all of her senses on high alert she could hear the faint sound of coughing and screams for help.  Her eyes snapped open as she looked around and the smell finally registered, it was smoke from a fire and Regina was trapped inside. 

Starting a slow jog, she followed the screams and the smell of the smoke, she began to pick up her pace and broke into a run going as fast as she could.  Her wolf abilities weren’t at full strength since the wolf was still in hibernation due to the curse but they were strong enough to be considered enhanced.  The closer Ruby got to the location of the smoke, the easier it was to narrow down what building it was coming from.  Stopping in her tracks she felt the knot in her stomach drop.  It was coming from Town Hall.  She felt physically ill but pushed on.

Running as fast as she could, she pushed herself to go faster and within a few minutes she could see the building in front of her.  Flames burned brightly as they engulfed the roof of the building.  Dark grey smoke filled the air and made it hard to breathe.  The screams for help and the coughing had stopped and Ruby felt the panic rise within her.  She could hear the faint sounds of sirens off in the distance but she knew that they wouldn’t get there in time.

Knowing that her true love was trapped inside, Ruby covered her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her jacket and ran into the building, not caring about her own safety.  The entrance was full of smoke, the roof had caved in in places, debris covering the floor as flames roared overhead.  Heading towards Regina’s office, Ruby pushed a fallen beam out of her way, lifting it with ease as she came to face the door.  Giving it a swift kick below the knob, Ruby watched as it opened with a loud crack.  Lying in the middle of the room with burning paperwork all around her was Regina.

Running over to the unconscious form, Ruby brushed back Regina’s hair from her face and checked her neck for a pulse.  Feeling the faint beating against her fingertips, Ruby let out the breath she didn’t realise she was holding and easily picked Regina up into her arms. Carrying the woman out of the smoke filled office, holding her close to her chest, Ruby carefully navigated her way through the fallen debris.  The smoke started to fill her lungs and she coughed, the exit was only a few meters away. 

Making it outside, Ruby gently placed Regina on the cold grass; she checked again to make sure the shorter woman still had a pulse, thankful to feel the steady beats.  Watching Regina’s chest rise and fall a couple of times she felt the knot in her stomach loosen ever so slightly. 

“Regina, come on honey, wake up,” Ruby said, trying not to panic, a cough racking through her chest.

The sirens were getting louder as Ruby leant over Regina, trying to get her to wake up.  She could feel the cold wind going right through her, making her shiver.  No other person was out and about and she began to panic, not able to hold it back.  Regina wasn’t waking up and she had tried everything she could think of.  She began to hyperventilate as she felt the tears burning behind her eyes. 

She tried to wake the unconscious woman again, gently shaking her shoulders as the tears fell down her face.  “Regina, please... come on baby... wake up.”  Hearing the sound of the emergency vehicles pulling up, she let out a ragged breath, thankful that they finally got to them.

“Ruby, did you see what happened?” a man who she couldn’t identify calmly asked her, kneeling next to her and Regina.

Taking a deep breath in and pulling herself together, wiping the tears from her face, she replied to the man.  “I saw nothing, I was just going for a run to blow off steam after work and I saw the smoke and I thought I heard a scream and when I went inside Regina was lying unconscious on the floor.  She has a faint pulse and is breathing but she won’t wake up.”

“We’re going to take her to the hospital, Mayor Mills may have inhaled a fair amount of smoke and we don’t know if she got hit in the head with anything.  You’re welcome to go to the hospital with her, it might be nice if she woke up to something being there,” the man said, helping the paramedics put Regina onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.

Going through the motions, Ruby lost track of what was going on around her.  Everything was a blur and the only thing she cared about was making sure that Regina was okay.  By the time they got to the hospital she was asked to wait outside until they were finished examining the unconscious woman.

Ruby took a deep breath and called Henry’s babysitter to let her know what was going on and why she was so late, she was meant to look after the boy until Regina got home from work.  She called Granny and asked to see if she could take Henry for the night which thankfully she could.  Sorting everything out, Ruby had a feeling she’d have to tell Granny about her relationship with Regina if she was asked about it even though she was pretty sure that Granny already knew.  She had come to realise that with small encounters within the curse were easily forgotten but bigger encounters or changes that never occurred often stuck around in the memories of the town folk for quite a while.

“Ruby, Mayor Mills is in room eleven if you’d like to go and see her,” A nurse told her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Thank you,” Ruby replied, knowing that back in the Enchanted Forest the nurse was a healer in her village.

Walking up the corridor, finding room eleven, Ruby opened the door, entered the room and softly closed the door behind her trying not to wake the woman.  She was grateful that Regina was placed in a private room.  The rhythmic beeping of the machines and the nasal cannula delivering oxygen to her partner let her know that Regina was going to be okay.  She pulled up a chair and sat bedside, holding the shorter woman’s hand in her own. 

Noticing that Regina’s chart was hanging off the end of the bed, Ruby reached for it with her spare hand, picking it up and going over what was written on it.  “Nothing but smoke inhalation,” she mumbled to herself.  Putting it back, she rested her head on the bed and looked up at Regina, hoping to see chocolate brown eyes open and look at her, smiling.

“Ruby, wake up.”  Feeling as if she was being shaken slightly, Ruby opened her eyes and saw Regina looking down at her, their hands still intertwined. 

“Regina, you’re awake,” Ruby smiled, her eyes bright.  “Sorry, I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay dear, it’s only 5:00 a.m.  I was going to let you sleep a while longer but I really need to pee,” Regina said, trying to get out of bed.

“Here, let me help,” Ruby offered, letting go of Regina’s hand and standing up and taking the cuff off Regina’s upper arm and the oximeter off her finger.  She noticed that the older woman had already removed the nasal cannula herself.

Standing up, Regina held onto Ruby until she got her balance and headed towards the private bathroom in her room to relieve herself.

Sitting on the end of the bed Ruby waited, wondering when they’d let Regina leave.  Hopefully it would be within the next few hours, she could take the shorter woman home, run her bath and cuddle with her on the couch while watching a movie.

“What’s on your mind?” Regina asked, exiting the small en-suite and sitting back on the bed, close to the green eyed woman.

“Nothing much, I’m just glad you’re okay, you scared me,” Ruby responded, pulling Regina closer to her, an arm wrapped around the smaller woman’s shoulders.

“It’s okay, don’t worry Ruby.  I’ll get to the bottom of this and find out who started the fire.  I know it wasn’t natural as my office door was locked from the outside and I couldn’t get it open.  Did it burn down?  What exactly happened?  I don’t remember much apart from being trapped with the fire surrounding me and all of the smoke,” Regina asked, looking into bright green eyes, hoping for some answers.

“I’m not sure exactly what happened, all I know is that I was on my way to your house and I stopped and when I concentrated I could hear you, coughing and calling out, I smelled the smoke and I just ran toward Town Hall and when I got there I heard nothing.  I ran inside and kicked down your door and got you out as quickly as I could.  The fire brigade and ambulance showed up two or three minutes after I got you out and I didn’t bother hanging around to find out anything more as I was only concerned about you,” Ruby replied, hugging Regina tighter to her.

“You willingly chose to save me instead of letting me burn,” Regina softly said, feeling her heart skip a beat as she never expected anyone to help her.

“Of course I did, you’re my soul mate, my one true love.  We both have shady pasts full of things we’re not proud of and things we did.  You’ve spent many years changing and you still are changing and I know you’re not the cold, heartless monster you think you are.  You’re Regina, an amazing mother to a wonderful little boy, the best mayor this town could ask for, and you make my life so much brighter and happier by being in it, I love you and I’d do anything to save you,” Ruby responded, pulling back slightly to look into chocolate brown eyes.

“You love me?” Regina asked, shocked that anyone could feel anything positive for her.

“I do love you, I love everything about you.  I love how you laugh at my jokes, I love how we banter, I love your sense of humour, I love seeing your sensitive side, I love the chocolate brown of your eyes, I love your smile, I love the little scar on your lip, and I love our time together.  I love you Regina,” Ruby enforced, pouring her heart out to the woman in front of her.

“I love you too, Ruby, so much,” Regina replied, feeling a tear run down her cheek.  She had never had someone give them her heart and she was overwhelmed with emotion.  Regina was going to do anything she could to make Ruby happy.

Wiping the tear from Regina’s cheek, Ruby leant in and placed a gentle yet passionate kiss on Regina’s lips, conveying her love for the woman in her arms.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby gets harassed while at work and Regina is there for her.

December 2009

The smell of freshly cooked burgers, shoestring fries and grilled chicken tenders lingered in the air at the diner.  It was dark outside, looking as if it was about to snow at any minute.  Ruby was cleaning up after a long day of work, covering the night shift for Granny.  She wiped down the benches and tables, cleaned the seats, mopped the floor, and started to unpack the dishwasher.

“Hello beautiful lady.”  Ruby turned around to see who had entered, not in the mood to deal with anyone.  She felt a lot of negative emotions rise within her when she saw Whale standing there, the man had been coming onto her since day one of being in Storybrooke and she had always felt like something was off with him.

“You’re not supposed to be back here Doctor Whale, we’re closed if you didn’t see the sign,” Ruby said, annoyed that he was in the kitchen and ignored the sign on the door.  The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, a shudder ran through her body like someone had just walked over her grave.  She didn’t like how he made her feel.

“I think we can bend the rules a little, don’t you?” he asked, winking at the tall brunette as he made his way over to her.

“No, we can’t, I’m not interested at all, please leave,” Ruby replied, telling him to his face as her anger simmered within her.  She was absolutely sick of the man and the way he made her feel.  She knew that she could defend herself if needed but she had no idea what he was capable of.

“Come on baby, you don’t mean that, how about we have a little fun, no one will know, not even your precious Mayor Mills,” Whale said, walking up to Ruby and grabbing her by the hips.

“Whale, I said no and I mean it, leave the mayor out of this,” Ruby responded, feeling panicked as she felt fingers digging into her flesh.  Whale had never gone this far with her before and if frightened her that he was getting more possessive.  She was scared and felt like she couldn’t move, her body frozen almost.

“Get your disgusting hands off her before I remove them from your body!” Regina angrily yelled, gripping Whale by the shoulder as tightly as she could and pulling him off Ruby, watching as his head hit one of the cupboards.  “Get out!  Now!” she added, watching the doctor run out of the diner, not looking back.

“Thank you,” Ruby said, her voice hoarse as she allowed Regina to pull her into a hug.  She was shaking like a leaf, her heart was still pounding, her hands gripped onto the black fabric of Regina’s coat as she buried her face into the crook of the brown eyed woman’s neck.

“Are you okay?  Did he hurt you?” Regina softly asked, gently rubbing slow circles around Ruby’s back, hoping to calm her partner.

“I’m okay now that you’re here, when he grabbed me I was scared and I couldn’t move, I never thought he would act on anything.”  Exhaling, Ruby held Regina a little tighter as she tried to control her breathing.

“How long has he been harassing you?” Regina asked, already plotting out a hundred and one ways to make the man pay, adamant that he wouldn’t forget anytime before his death, naturally or by her hand.

“Since the very first day of the curse but it’s only been the last two months he’s really insisted on it, tonight was the first time he’s physically done anything; I don’t even know who he was from our land,” Ruby replied, changing topic half way through, wanting to forget about Whale as she took a deep breath in.

“I’m going to kill him,” Regina said, adding another thirty ways to her list on how to kill him, all involving torture beforehand.  She felt the anger rising inside of her, Ruby was the love of her life and if anyone tried to hurt her they would feel the wrath of the Evil Queen upon them.

“Regina, we’re not killing anyone, especially not anyone from our land.  Murder or violence isn’t the answer,” Ruby responded, pulling back to look into Regina’s chocolate brown eyes.

“He’s not from our land, he’s Frankenstein, and he harassed you, God knows what he would have done if I hadn’t stopped by.”  Releasing Ruby, Regina leant against the sink and quickly examined the green eyed woman to make sure she was physically okay.

“Frankenstein?  I feel dirty now, I heard about him experimenting on people back in our land, taking his victims from whatever land he pleased.  I’m so glad cursed Ruby didn’t sleep around.”  Going back to unpacking the dishwasher, Ruby needed something to do as she tried again to forget about what had happened but she couldn’t shake it from her mind.

“Really?” Regina responded, wondering how Ruby had heard about the man and his antics.

“Really, I only flirted and wore revealing clothing for the tips.  Maybe I was just waiting for my true love to come along and sweep me off my feet so I could give myself to her,” Ruby smiled, putting a stack of plates away, taking Regina’s comment to mean something else.

Feeling herself blush slightly, Regina looked away.  “Are you almost done?  We can go home and you can have a nice, long, hot shower.”

“Kind of, I still need to organise the cold room for Granny, it’s her repayment for babysitting Henry,” Ruby said, looking apologetically at Regina.

“I’ll help you with it so we can go home earlier.  Henry is having a sleepover so we have the house to ourselves tonight, we can watch whatever movie you want without being interrupted,” Regina smiled, pushing herself off of the sink and over to Ruby.  “Where do we begin?”

“Well, we begin in the cold room, are you sure you’re going to be okay to help out?  You only got out of the hospital yesterday morning and they doctors did say you may get shortness of breath for the next few days,” Ruby replied, reaching out for Regina’s hand and holding it.

“I’m fine Ruby, I may just need you to stay with me one more night after tonight.”  Squeezing Ruby’s hand she was led into the cold room.  “How did you manage in here wearing barely anything before I kissed you?” Regina asked, feeling the cold against her skin, looking Ruby over and liking that she was dressed in a long sleeve red plaid shirt and tight jeans, with small heeled black boots.

“I had a nice thick jacket hidden in the backroom, and a pair of track pants in my bag to change into.”  Moving a box of frozen chicken down a shelf, Ruby looked to Regina. 

“What can I do?” Regina asked, eyeing the frozen boxes and bags around her as she pulled her jacket tighter to her body.

“We need to move everything from the second highest shelf down a shelf so when the delivery comes in the morning it can be packed straight into here, whatever is currently on the shelf we’re moving things onto, push them to the front so they get used first,” Ruby replied, moving another box.

Walking further into the large, cold room, Regina began to work on the shelves on the left, Ruby on the right.  They worked in silence moving boxes, Regina’s teeth began to chatter from the cold.  Making it to the back wall, they were almost done.  Spinning around quickly to the sound of a door slamming, Ruby ran for the cool room entrance but it was locked shut before she got to it.

“Some arsehat has locked us in,” Ruby frustratingly said, hitting the door with her fist, leaving a small dent.

“Ruby, is there any other way out of here?” Regina calmly asked, walking to where the taller woman was.

“No, none, it’s a metal box of cold, one way in, one way out,” Ruby replied, sitting on the ground next to the door.   

“Can we remove the door?  Are you able to kick it in?”

“No and no, well, no and yes, but I’d rather not as Granny would kill me, and she’s scary, cursed or not,” Ruby responded, looking up at Regina.

“Reasonable, Granny scares me too, Henry loves her,” Regina said, sitting next to Ruby.

“Granny loves Henry, she spoils him rotten with milkshakes and extra ice cream, and pancakes, if it’s here, he gets extra no matter what,” Ruby smiled, wrapping an arm around Regina.

“It’s freezing in here, luckily not cold enough to kill us.  Whoever locked us in here is now on my list after Whale and whoever set my office on fire.”  Cuddling closer to Ruby, Regina rested her head on Ruby’s shoulder, trying to think of who else she saw on her way into the diner.

“We’ll find them.  Do you think whoever it is, is a visitor to Storybrooke, or might there be another person in town who kept their memories that you’re unaware of,” Ruby voiced, not sure if she was making sense.

“My top guesses are Gold if he managed to get his memories back, someone new which is unlikely as the town is invisible, or someone who saw us together in an intimate way and got insanely jealous.  You are absolutely stunning after all,” Regina said, trying to get closer to Ruby as the cold penetrated through her body.

“Gold was the Dark One, wasn’t he?” Ruby clarified, pulling Regina onto her lap and wrapping her arms around the dark eyed woman, feeling the shorter woman relaxing against her chest.

“He was,” Regina confirmed, feeling the warmth of Ruby’s body against her back, enjoying the feeling of being warmed up.

“What’s that in your pocket?” Ruby asked, feeling a small, hard object pressing into her.

Checking her pockets, Regina pulled out a mobile phone, fumbling slightly as her fingers were numb.

“A phone!  We can call for help!” Ruby said, squeezing Regina in glee.

“Who should we call?  Is anyone still awake that we know of?”

“Granny should be awake, she’s only upstairs,” Ruby answered, taking the phone from Regina and dialling the number.

Waiting for it to ring, Ruby put the phone on speaker.

 _“Who the hell is this?  Do you know what the time is_?” Came the voice from the other end.

“Granny, it’s Ruby, someone locked Mayor Mills and I in the cold room.  Can you please come and open the door?” Ruby quickly said, noticing the battery on the phone getting low.

 _“How did that happen?  I’ll be right down,”_ Granny replied, hanging up the phone.

 “Maybe we should get up and finish the back wall before Granny gets here, make it look like we haven’t been sitting down and cuddling,” Regina suggested, standing up and stretching out her cold limbs which protested in response.

“But I like sitting down and cuddling with you,” Ruby pouted, looking up at Regina who offered her a hand up.

“And I like cuddling with you but I think Granny won’t be impressed if we left the job half done.”  Quickly finishing moving the last of the boxes onto the correct shelving, the door behind them swung open and there stood Granny, not looking impressed.

“How the hell did you two get locked in here?” Granny asked, eyeing them both up as they exited the cool room.

“We were rotating the stock and the door closed behind us, we have no idea who locked us in here or why,” Ruby replied, thankful to be out of the cold and able to feel her fingers.

“When I find out who did it, I’ll make sure they’ll get a stern warning,” Regina added, crossing her arms.

“Just a warning Madam Mayor?  The little shits deserve to have their arses kicked or at least a hundred hours of community service each,” Granny replied, not impressed that she had to get out of bed.

“I’ll take that into mind.  Thank you for coming down and opening the door for us,” Regina said, knowing better than to say no to the grandmother of her partner.

“Yeah, thanks Granny,” Ruby added, giving the woman a quick hug.

“Now to another question before I leave you two to go to bed, Ruby, why was our lovely mayor in here helping you?”  Granny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I told Regina that I offered to work closing to thank you for babysitting Henry the other night and she offered to help and wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Ruby responded, giving her grandmother a sincere smile.

“On a first name basis I see. And if you say so I’ll believe it for now, goodnight Ruby, goodnight Madam Mayor, don’t do anything in my diner either,” Granny said, warning Ruby before heading upstairs to the bedrooms.

“I have a feeling she’s not going to forget about this or us any time soon.  That last comment though.”  Turning to face Regina, Ruby looked defeated and tired.

“It’s okay, she’ll find out officially eventually, and even with the curse Granny seems way to stubborn to let it slip past her, which is probably partly my fault,” Regina replied, pulling Ruby to her.

“We’ll wait a week or two and if she doesn’t drop it we tell her?” Ruby suggested, pressing her forehead against Regina’s.

“Sounds like a plan.  How about we head home, watch that movie, go to bed, and over the next few days we investigate why someone is out to get us.  I don’t trust the idiots who work at the police station,” Regina said, getting fed up at the lack of progress.

“That sounds like a plan, give me a minute to see if I can pick up any scents first before we leave.”  Walking over to the cool room door, Ruby sniffed the air and followed the trail to the diner entrance.  “I’m picking up a mix of pen ink, off musk sticks, and bleach, what a weird combination,” Ruby added, looking confused.

“Come on, let’s get out of here, we’ll leave everything for tomorrow,” Regina replied, holding Ruby’s hand. She led them out of the building, locking the door behind them.  Heading home they both kept an eye out to make sure no one was following them or waiting for them in the shadows as the snow started to fall.  


	5. Chapter 5

December 2009

Snow heavily fell, coating the ground below white, burying cars under a thick blanket.  A cold chill sat on top of Storybrooke, the wind moving it throughout the town.  Thick smoke was coming from almost every chimney in town and a few areas on the outskirts of the forest. 

Tossing and turning unable to fall asleep, Regina sat up in bed and rubbed her forehead.  She looked next to her and saw Ruby peacefully asleep, the blanket drawn up to her chin.  Looking to the alarm clock, it showed it was 2:00 a.m.  Quietly getting out of bed, Regina grabbed her fluffy dressing gown and put it on.  Walking back to the bed, she tucked Ruby in and gently kissed her on the forehead before heading to the en-suite.

Leaning her hands on bathroom counter, sink in front of her, Regina took a deep breath in and released it, trying to calm down.  Reaching for the tap, she turned it on and watched as the water ran for a few seconds.  Grabbing the face washer from the towel rack, she wet it and wiped her eyes with it, followed by the rest of her face. Regina was feeling shaken up, scared almost, someone had come for her twice within the span of only a few days and it made her worry that the next target would be someone she loved.  Turning the tap off and wiping her hands on the hand towel, Regina headed to her home office.  Pulling out a pile of blank paper and a pen, Regina tapped the pen against the wooden desk a few times before she began to write down facts from the recent events.

_Unknown person set fire to my office at Town Hall after regular hours.  The office door was locked from outside._

_Two days later Ruby and I were locked inside the freezer at the diner, again after hours and from outside.  The smell of bleach, old musk, and ink were present to Ruby’s enhanced senses._

_Suspects with cause:_

_Mr. Gold / Rumplestiltskin – If his memory has returned he may be seeking revenge from past events.  He may also have magical items hidden in this land._

_Dr. Whale / Frankenstein – Has shown physical interest in Ruby and has acted on it, he was present for the time frame at diner.  Has past history with me and blames me for something ridiculous._

_Jefferson / The Mad Hatter – Has all of his memories from the Enchanted Forest.  Most likely hasn’t crossed paths with Ruby.  Has it out for me as the curse is keeping him from his daughter.  Has threatened revenge._

_The Charmings – Knowing my luck they probably found a way to get back at me._

Tapping the pen against her desk once more, Regina tried to think of other people capable of purposely setting out to hurt her or Ruby.  She thought of people who had the personality trait to become obsessive over a person and act out after seeing them interact intimately with another but she couldn’t come up with anyone’s cursed self so threw that idea aside.  People who had sent in plans or requests to Town Hall and had them rejected she thought of next but nothing stood out.  Businesses not meeting correct safety standards she had pulled up, still nothing.  If anyone had come into the town to visit or stay without her aware of it was very unlikely.

Letting out a yawn, Regina didn’t realise that she had been sitting at her desk for over an hour; the last twenty minutes spend staring at the piece of paper while trying to think of more suspects.

“Come back to bed baby, I woke up and you weren’t there,” Ruby pouted, stepping into the office, clad in a light blue singlet top and matching long pyjama bottoms with owls on them.

“I’m sorry dear; I couldn’t sleep so I came down here to start on some notes about recent events before they started to fade.  I’m at a loss for who it could possibly be,” Regina said, looking into tired green eyes.

“You can leave that until morning, it’s not going to run away.  You’ve been trapped inside of a burning building, spent a night in the hospital, and have been locked inside of a freezer all within the span of three to four days, that’s not even a whole week.  You need a good night’s rest, even if that means I need to pick you up and carry you back to bed,” Ruby replied, walking over to Regina and pulling her up from her chair.

“Okay, but if I’m still awake in one hour I’m coming back down here,” Regina tried, not feeling as if sleep would be much use to her.

“I can guarantee that you’ll be asleep within an hour,” Ruby said, leading the shorter woman upstairs and to the bed, gently sliding the fluffy gown off her partner’s body.

Sliding into bed the sheets had a hint of cold to them as Regina rested her head on the soft pillows and felt a wave of exhaustion hit her.  Feeling Ruby cuddling up to her side, an arm around her waist, she smiled and turned her head, placing a soft kiss on Ruby’s forehead.  “I love you,” she whispered, closing her eyes, basking in the warmth coming from her True Love’s body.

“I love you too,” Ruby replied, gently caressing the shorter woman’s side until she fell asleep.  Giving into the temptation of sleep herself, Ruby closed her eyes and let her brain shut off for the night, Regina wrapped in her arms.

Waking to the beeping of the alarm clock, Regina groaned and waved her hand in the general direction of the sound, shutting the device up.  She knew she had to get up and face the day.  Already deciding that she was working from home, she mentally planned out the things she had to do to be able to gather the information she required.

Noticing Ruby begin to move, Regina brushed long locks of brown hair from the younger woman’s face, “Good morning beautiful,” she smiled, watching Ruby squint as the sunlight in the room danced along the side of her face.

“It’s too bright,” Ruby mumbled, burying her head into Regina’s shoulder, trying to find darkness away from the sun’s rays.

“It’s 8:00 a.m.  I’m staying here today, mostly, and I’m going to try to figure out who the hell is wasting my time with their childish behaviour,” Regina said, still not amused over the entire situation.

“They tried to kill you with fire quite literally, that’s more than childish behaviour.  How can I be of help?  If they’re going after you they have to get through me first,” Ruby replied, sitting up in the warm bed, rubbing at her eyes.

“I’m going to need a copy of the reports from the fire, I was thinking of going to pick them up personally, as mayor they can’t tell me no,” Regina responded, looking at Ruby, noticing how dishevelled she was looking.

“I’ll come with you, I was there after all, rescuing you, and they won’t care, and if they do, they’ll forget by tomorrow,” Ruby replied, getting out of bed.  Standing at her full height she stretched her limbs out, her shoulders cracking in protest.

“Let’s get dressed and head off shall we?” Regina suggested, watching Ruby as the younger woman took her clothes off and walked around the room in nothing but her underwear.

Getting dressed into her casual work attire and grabbing a thick coat, Regina watched as Ruby rifled through her clothing trying to find something to wear.  “Try for something warm dear, can’t have you freezing your cute butt off.”

Smiling at Regina’s comment, Ruby pulled out a warm pair of sweatpants, a shirt, and her oversized hoodie.  “Is this acceptable your Majesty?” she asked, giggling slightly.

“That is acceptable, yes,” Regina replied, smiling at her partner.

Pulling her shirt over her head, Ruby continued to get dressed.  “Do you think the streets have been ploughed yet?  The snow was very heavy yesterday evening and through the night.”

Getting up and looking out of the bedroom window to the street below Regina examined the site in front of her.  “The roads are all ploughed and so is our driveway.”

“That’s good, let’s get going.”  Grabbing Regina by the hand, Ruby led them outside and to the car.

Getting into the car and pulling out of the driveway, Regina and Ruby slowly drove to the fire station, intent on getting what they required.  The drive was short, taking only a couple of minutes before they pulled up to the building. Parking on the side of the road, they exited the vehicle and headed inside of the building.

“Mayor Mills, Miss. Lucas, how can I be of help this wonderful morning?” A young man asked them, sounding too happy for Ruby’s liking.

“Hi Jack, I was just wondering if I could please get a copy of the report on the fire at Town Hall from the other night,” Regina kindly asked, flashing one of her smiles.

“Of course, I’ll print it off for you.  We’ve already sent a copy of the report to the sheriff’s station and the sheriff himself said he’s taking it from here.  I’ll be back in a couple of minutes with a copy for you,” Jack replied, heading to the back room.

Sitting down on the seats provided, Ruby looked around the room, never have been inside of the building before.  “This place could use some artwork and a stack of magazines,” she absentmindedly said.

“I didn’t exactly have decor in mind when Storybrooke was created,” Regina replied quietly, shifting in her spot, the seats cold and hard.

“Maybe we can get on top of fixing that up eventually; we might as well make the town look pretty since we now have our memories and can remember everything,” Ruby responded in the same volume, not wanting anyone to overhear.

“Maybe dear, we have more pressing concerns first,” Regina said, offering the green eyed woman a small smile.

Sitting in silence Regina tapped her fingers against the armrest of the chair; she would have to go back into her burnt office to assess the damage for herself.  She didn’t exactly trust anyone from the sheriff’s station to do a thorough job as the curse was affecting them.

“Here you are Madam Mayor, the paperwork you asked for.  I’ve also printed you off a copy of the photos we took at the scene and our analysis of the structural stability of the building,” Jack grinned, handing Regina the papers.

“Thank you Jack, have a good day,” Regina courteously replied, exiting the building with Ruby following close behind.

Getting into the car, Regina began to look over the paperwork.  “There’s barely anything in this report, it’s half a page long, has four photos, two of which are from outside, and two sentences saying that the structure is sound even if a beam or two fell down as they weren’t load bearing,” Regina said, feeling annoyed at the lack of competence the people of Storybrooke had.

“What does the actual report say?” Ruby asked, watching flip back to the first page.

Quickly reading what was written she summarised it down to the main points.  “It says that a fire started after hours, destroyed my office and part of reception, and damaged the outside roof of the building.  They haven’t found a cause for it but the flames took a mix of foam and water to be snuffed out.  And lastly it says that I escaped the building and needed hospitalisation for smoke inhalation and that’s literally it,” Regina responded, tossing the paperwork onto the backseat.

“Well, that was ridiculous, we’d have more accurate information if we went there ourselves and checked it out,” Ruby suggested, the thought of detective work exciting her.

“I guess we’ll have to go to Town Hall then and do our own investigation,” Regina smirked, turning the car on and pulling out onto the road.

“Let’s go baby,” Ruby winked, earning a playful slap from the dark eyed woman.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Regina said, turning a corner and accelerating down the road.

“When we get home I want to add a few things to the notes you started last night.”  Winding down her window, Ruby let the ice cold wind blow on her face.

“I was thinking that we move everything out of my home office regarding these attacks and we place them into a secure area of the house where no one would look in case they catch onto what we’re doing,” Regina reasoned, parking in the employee’s only car park at town hall that was currently empty.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Ruby agreed, exiting the car.

Walking toward the burnt building, Ruby took hold of Regina’s hand and led them to the front entrance.  “I came in through here when I found the building on fire.  I ran into the reception area which was full of thick smoke, the ceiling was also caving in and debris was everywhere.  Flames were roaring above my head so I turned toward your office, just in front of your office door there was a beam on fire,” Ruby explained, leading Regina through her version of events as she walked through the building.

“There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary or nothing new in the area we’ve just been through, what happened next after the beam?” Regina asked, taking mental notes along with photos on her phone.

“I pushed the beam out of the way with ease and threw it to where it is now.  It was originally right here in front of us.  The middle of it wasn’t on fire, just both ends.  I was then in front of your office and that’s where the fire was like an inferno, the door was closed so I kicked it in and it opened with a crack.”  Stopping in front of the door to the office, Ruby pointed out where the flames were coming from.

“My first indication about the fire was smoke coming under my door.  I got up and tried to open it but it was locked.  I never lock the office door so it was locked from the outside,” Regina added to their conversation, taking photos of the area around her office.

Walking over to the door which was now off its hinges and half burnt, Ruby picked it up and examined the lock.  She tried to push the mechanism in but it wouldn’t budge.  Turning the lock around from the inside it still didn’t move.  “It was definitely locked from the outside with a key, someone literally tried to kill you,” Ruby said, looking up at Regina with an expression of horror on her face.

“Don’t be so shocked dear, they hated me as the evil queen and they currently hate me as the mayor, I’m not surprised.  I’m only surprised that they’d happily take you down with me which makes my blood boil,” Regina replied, feeling Ruby tackle her into a hug.

Cuddling Regina to her, Ruby looked around the blackened office, wondering how anyone could hurt the woman she was in love with.  Well, she knew why they would do it but if they got to know Regina, Ruby was sure they’d quickly change their mind. 

“How about we go check the rest of the length of the hallway,” Regina suggested, still getting accustomed to someone wholeheartedly caring about her.

“Okay,” Ruby agreed, letting Regina go after placing a kiss on her cheek.

Walking slowly down the length of the hallway, Regina took more photos and analysed the area around her.  Something looked out of place but she couldn’t place what it was.  “Ruby, can you see anything out of place over here, there’s something not right.”

Checking out the hallway for herself, Ruby deeply sniffed the air, scrunching her face up in disgust.  “It smells like something ew.”

“Just ew?”

Stepping around the hall, Ruby tried her best to pinpoint the source of the odour.  “It’s coming from very close to here,” Ruby said, standing next to one of the potted plants.

“There should have been a small bench right there next to the vase.  Is there anything inside the vase?” Regina asked, looking at Ruby.

“There’s just ash in the bottom of it, otherwise it looks rather unaffected.”

“Just ash and no melted plastic?  The plant that was in it was a fake succulent,” Regina said, standing beside Ruby and looking around the area.  “They must have started the fire in the vase; it has a little bit of soot in it and it contains more ash than there should be.”  Snapping up a few more photos, Regina headed to the reception area.

“I think we should head back home, If I pick up the smell again that’s here I’ll let you know straight away,” Ruby said, intertwining her fingers with Regina’s as they exited the building and headed towards home.

Pulling into the driveway on Mifflin, Regina turned the car off, gathered the paperwork from the backseat and headed toward the house, her heels clicking against the hard ground.

“Why is there a note stuck onto the door?” Ruby questioned, creasing her brow in confusion.

“No idea,” Regina mumbled, grabbing the note.  No one had ever been bold enough to enter the premises of her property, and the note on her door made her question who had the balls to walk up to her home and stick something onto it.

“Mine.”  Regina read the note aloud so Ruby could hear what it said.  She re-read the note a few more times and showed it to Ruby, both highly confused at its meaning.

“Let’s go inside,” Ruby suggested, sticking close to the shorter woman.

Heading straight for her office, Regina set the files down on her desk, pulled out her laptop and connected her phone to it.  “I’m going to print off the photos, my notes from last night are here if you think I’ve missed anything,” Regina said, pointing to a pile of paper.

Picking up the top piece of paper and the files from the fire department, Ruby spread them out and looked over them.  “Regina, the day Town Hall was set on fire did anything out of the ordinary happen?”

“Not that I can recall.”

“Okay, can you tell me what happened at the office that day?” Ruby asked, trying to cover all bases.

“I got there on time as always, went into my office, finished my coffee, opened my mail, put in a few orders for new books and a new updated copy of the law and legislation regarding building permits, and had a call from the baby sitter asking when she was next needed.  I had lunch, had a meeting with a bunch of idiots, began to sort through the building applications, finished those, checked my e-mail, and I had a snack.  I tidied up my office and Sidney dropped by to deliver a hard copy of this week’s newspaper for approval as his e-mail wasn’t working.  I informed reception I’d be staying back to finish some approvals and that I’d lock up when I was done.  Everyone left about half an hour after that and I went over the newspaper, called Sidney to tell him what needed to be fixed, finished off my last four approvals and half way through the third one was when I noticed the smoke,” Regina summarised, walking over to her printer and picking the photos up.

“Has Sidney ever hand delivered you a copy of the paper before?”  Ruby asked, finding it odd that the e-mail server went down.

“He did once when a storm knocked out all of the power but that was before I adopted Henry,” Regina replied.  After a few seconds she looked up at Ruby, eyes wide.  “Sidney!  Back in the Enchanted Forest he told me that if he couldn’t have me no one could.  In the end I ended up banishing him into my mirror where he couldn’t escape.”

“I never met Sidney back in the forest, and that’s really creepy,” Ruby said, sitting down on the desk.

“Sidney was the genie of Agrabah; he was in love with me and did anything I wanted until I had no use for him anymore,” Regina explained, putting the photos in order.

“Did you ever love him back?” Ruby asked, curious about Regina’s past.

“No, never, he was my ticket out of my marriage to Leopold and that’s the purpose he served,” Regina answered, reaching around Ruby for the papers.

“Okay, at some point I wouldn’t mind hearing about what it was like to live with Leopold and young Snow,” Ruby said, getting off the desk.

“It was hell.  When we got here and found the note, did you smell anything out of the ordinary on the porch?” Regina asked, getting them back onto topic.

“I didn’t really check though nothing caught my attention.  I can go out there now and see, it takes a while for a smell to fully disappear,” Ruby replied, heading out of the office and to the front porch, Regina in tow.

Walking the length of the porch, Ruby sniffed the air and concentrated.  Changing directions she walked down the length of the path and stopped by the mailbox.  “There is something definitely here, it almost smells like vinegar, I think.”

“So we have the smell of ink, bleach, old musk, and vinegar, I think I’m going to kill Sidney,” Regina stated, her hands curling into fists.

“I don’t understand how you put those three smells together,” Ruby said confusion evident in her green eyes.

“Ink – he works at the newspaper printing factory, bleach – he most likely soaked his clothing in it to rid himself of the smoke smell, and vinegar – he oddly enjoys putting vinegar on his fries, the musk I can’t explain,” Regina clarified, turning around and locking the front door.

“What’s the plan?” Ruby asked, waiting by the footpath for Regina to join her.

“We are going to go for a walk, but we’re going to follow the scent for as long as we can, I want to see if he’s been up to anything else,” Regina answered, linking her arm with Ruby’s. 

“And you want to do that while showing downright affection?  If he’s doing this out of vengeance won’t it make him angry and irrational?”

“I don’t really care how it makes him feel, if I want to link arms with the woman I love I will do so,” Regina said, standing on her tippy toes to softly kiss Ruby’s cheek.

“You can be really cute when you’re not trying to intimidate everyone,” Ruby smirked, taking the first step of their walk, noticing the melted snow on the grass around them.

“There is nothing cute about me, I can assure you of that,” Regina replied, walking alongside the tall brunette.

“You’re wrong but let’s save that for another day.  I want to know how Sidney came to know about us and what it did to him,” Ruby said, changing the subject.

“We’ve been very private, we may have held hands once or twice in public, and you did kiss me on the cheek once at Granny’s but that’s all I can think of.  If he did see something he would have had to have been spying on one or both of us, and if he got jealous enough or even had flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest or dreams he could know who I really am and what I did to him.  I know he has no idea who you were back in our land and hopefully it stays that way,” Regina replied, giving Ruby’s arm a slight squeeze with her hand.

“If he was spying on us it would have to be at your house, you’ve only been to my apartment twice and both times all we did was kiss a little with the blinds shut.  There is also the forest behind your house and Sidney could have easily set up a recording device in one of them or sat out during the pitch black of night with a pair of binoculars and watched us.”  Taking a quick sniff of the air, Ruby turned left and walked them down past another row of houses.

“The only rooms in my house that face the forest are the main bathroom, Henry’s bedroom, and our bedroom,” Regina said, her eyes going wide.

“We barely have the blinds closed either as it’s the second story looking out into the forest.  He probably watched us having sex, I think I feel sick,” Ruby grimaced, holding her stomach.

“When we find out for sure we’ll be going to the hospital, calling Sidney and asking him to meet us in a room down near the psychiatric ward, then we can jab him with anaesthetic and drag his sorry arse into one of the cells below the grounds,” Regina planned, looking to Ruby who was going an odd hue of pale white.  “Ruby, are you okay?”

“I feel sick, the scent is really strong down the alleyway even with the snow suppressing it, it’s making my stomach turn,” Ruby answered, feeling Regina hold onto her a little tighter.

“Deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

“We need to see what’s down there, if I cover my nose I think I’ll be okay,” Ruby said, taking tentative steps down the alleyway, jacket arm held firmly over her mouth and nose.

“If at any point it makes you too sick, turn back and I’ll go look,” Regina replied, taking hold of Ruby’s arm, guiding her ahead.

Making their way down the length of the alleyway, Regina began to pick up the smell.  It was very potent and chemical like, it reminded her of the dungeon back home in her castle.  Exiting the alleyway they came into the clearing before the forest started, snow still covered the ground in patches.  The smell was getting stronger and Ruby was trying her best not to dry heave.

“I think it’s coming from the tightly packed together trees to our left,” Ruby said, steering them in the correct direction.

“If you need to stay here you can, I’ll be fine and my sense of smell is only a quarter of what yours is,” Regina replied, stopping them to look at Ruby who was solely breathing out of her mouth.

“I’m fine, if it gets too much I promise I’ll let you know,” Ruby responded, continuing to walk through the clearing, avoiding the puddles of melted snow.

Stepping over fallen branches, Ruby led them through part of the forest.  The trees were swaying overhead, dropping snow while casting eerie shadows on the ground below.  It was silent, no bird singing, no animals climbing up the trees, just the trees and the toxic odour.  Thick branches covered in leaves blocked the way.  Pushing them aside, Ruby stepped through narrowly missing a large puddle, Regina following closely behind.

“We’re in a small clearing which has been cleared out of snow,” Regina pointed out, looking around them at the two metre by two metre area of grass.  Tree’s covered it from all sides making it the perfect hiding spot.

“It’s definitely coming from in here,” Ruby said, trying to pinpoint the exact spot without throwing up.

Inspecting the ground around her and finding it clear of everything, Regina walked over to the tree that was directly in front of her and examined it.  Nothing.  Continuing onto the rest of them, the brown eyed woman stopped in front of the tree that was initially on her right.  Down the bottom of the trunk, covered by long grass was a hallowed out cavity.  “There’s something down here.”  Moving the grass away Regina carefully looked inside before pulling out a heavy metal box.

“What do you think is in it?” Ruby asked, bending down to the same level as Regina.

“I don’t know, I think it’ll be best if we take it and open it somewhere safer,” Regina responded, tucking it under her coat and moving quickly out of the small clearing.

“Where are we going?” Easily keeping pace with Regina, Ruby tried her best to ignore the smell while stepping over a broken branch.

“To a place, I’ll let you know where when I’m certain no one is following us.  We need to get the car,” Regina replied, walking through the forest and out into the clearing.

Getting back onto the footpath, Regina hurried back to her house, wanting to know exactly what was making the metal box so potent.  They rounded the corner onto Mifflin and headed towards the car.  Popping the boot Regina placed the box inside and closed it, getting into the car she wound down the windows and pulled out of the driveway.

Sticking her head out of the car window, Ruby let the cold wind blow against her face, the toxic odour barely noticeable as she took in a few deep breaths.  “If you make one dog joke I swear to God you won’t get sex for a month,” Ruby said, knowing what the smirk on Regina’s face meant.

“I wouldn’t dream of it dear,” Regina replied, turning right at the end of Mifflin and speeding down the street.

Turning down a bunch of random streets, Regina made sure they weren’t being followed before she headed for her true destination.  Pulling into a laneway behind a vacated building, Regina and Ruby got out of the car, locked it up, and retrieved the metal box from the boot.

“So, where are we going?” Ruby asked, knowing that they were close to their destination based on how quickly Regina was walking.

“We’re going to visit my family vault and pay our respects,” Regina replied, walking down the laneway and onto the footpath. 

“It’s clear of cars and people,” Ruby said, tapping into her wolf hearing.

“Good, follow me.”  Crossing the road, Regina led them around a few more buildings until they came into view of the cemetery.  Tombstones stood tall, topped with snow, the area peaceful.  Entering the grounds, the two brunettes were careful not to step on any graves, respecting the dead.

“Are there actually dead people in here?” Ruby asked, knowing that the curse created the necropolis.

“I’m not exactly sure, I would assume so I guess,” Regina replied, walking up to her family vault and opening the door with a key.

Waiting for Ruby to enter behind her, Regina grabbed the taller woman’s arm and pulled her in before closing the door behind them, bolting it shut from the inside.

“Oh wow,” Ruby gasped, looking around her.

“Follow me,” Regina said, moving to the back wall and putting her hand against it, the wall immediately sliding up.  Entering the newly revealed room, Regina lit the candles around them and placed the metal box on the table off to the side.

Walking to the cupboard against the far wall, Regina pulled out a piece of cloth and a set of sturdy looking gloves.  Heading back over to where Ruby was Regina handed her the piece of cloth.  “Hold it over your nose and it will block out all scents until it’s removed.  These are my gloves I used to use for brewing; I’m not taking any chances when opening up this box, it smells like a potion gone wrong.”

Following Regina’s instructions, Ruby held the cloth to her nose and stood slightly behind the shorter woman, cautiously looking over her shoulder as she opened the box.  Putting the lid aside Regina pulled back the blue cloth covering the contents.  Inside lay a handgun and six bullets, all tipped with a shimmering red coat of something that looked like it was moving.

Tentatively picking up one of the bullets, Regina examined it rotating the bullet to look at all sides of it before placing it back in the box.  Covering the contents back up and sliding the lid back on, Regina turned to face Ruby.  “The bullets have been dipped into a potion which explodes when it comes into contact with blood, Rumplestiltskin used to trade them and arrowheads to kingdoms like they were candy, some of them must have come over with us.”

“It was hidden in the forest behind your house; does that mean it was meant to be used on one of us?” Ruby asked, taking a step back.

“I’m not positive but I’m going to say yes.  I’m sure it’s Sidney as the potion is partly based on genie magic which he may be able to manipulate through his blood which to me which means he somehow has gotten his memories back,” Regina replied, picking up the box and placing her hand on a brick on the wall behind the table, the brick popping open to reveal a large cavity.  Regina placed the box inside and closed it up, turning to face Ruby.

“No one can get to it now, right?”

“Correct.  It’s sealed by blood magic which is why I’m still able to open it with a touch of the hand,” Regina said, taking her gloves off and taking the fabric from Ruby, placing them back in their respective spots.

“Can we go now?  I’m not a fan of people trying to kill us, the quicker we catch them the better,” Ruby said, feeling Regina hold her hand.

“Of course,” Regina replied, leading them out of the vault and back to the car, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Driving out and onto the road, Regina took a deep breath and glanced in the direction of where Ruby was sitting.  She wanted a second opinion on what to do but she felt nervous.  She knew what she would do if no one but her had their memories but now Ruby had hers too and she deeply cared about what the green eyed woman thought of her.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Ruby asked, placing her hand on Regina’s thigh.

Letting out the breath she was holding, Regina organised her thoughts.  “I want to deal with this Sidney problem right away but I have you and Henry to think of.  Henry is only eight and with what we found today I’m scared to have him in the house until it’s all sorted.  He stayed at his friends last night so I can’t send him away again but I’m scared that if he stays he’ll get hurt.”

“How about we pick him up from school early, take him to get a milkshake and something to eat, and see what he has to say without telling him anything.  Granny might be able to watch him,” Ruby suggested, hearing her stomach rumble.

“I think I may need to feed you too,” Regina laughed, heading toward the school, taking Ruby’s advice.

Signing Henry out for the day, using a doctor’s appointment as the excuse, all three headed towards the diner.

“How was school kiddo?” Ruby asked, looking back at the boy.

“School was good, today we made a paper mache volcano and after recess we got to paint it.  Before lunch Miss Blanchard filled it up with secret ingredients and it exploded.  It was so cool,” Henry enthusiastically told them.

“I remember doing that in school too, it was the best thing ever,” Ruby smiled back, noticing they were already outside of the diner.

“I want a chocolate milkshake and a hamburger,” Henry said, getting out of the car and running inside.

Sitting in the booth with Henry, Regina watched as Ruby grabbed them some menus from behind the counter, not waiting on the waitresses to get to them first.  Looking over the options, they all opted for the same thing as Henry.

“Hi Granny,” Henry called out, smiling at the older woman.

“Hello Henry, how was school today?” 

“We made a big volcano and it exploded!” Henry replied, demonstrating with his hands what happened.

“I remember Ruby trying to make one here when she was about your age, she did it in the middle of one of the rooms upstairs and it stained the carpet red.  I had to have it professionally cleaned.  We have all the ingredients in the kitchen to make one and of course Ruby found them all, plus a snack,” Granny mused, making the green eyed woman go a nice shade of red.

“Today I didn’t get any homework,” Henry said, taking a sip from his milkshake.

“Well, aren’t you lucky,” Granny smiled.  “I need to go prep for the dinner rush then make cakes tonight for tomorrow, have a good meal.”

“Can I help with making cakes?  I love to bake but I don’t get to do it often,” Henry asked, pulling his best puppy dog eyes.

“Only if it’s okay with your mum mister, and I can even show you how to make a super volcano.”

“Mum, can I help Granny?  Please, I promise I’ll be good,” Henry said, slurping up the last of his milkshake.

“Only if it’s okay with Granny, I can drop you back here after dinner,” Regina replied, trying to fit in paying Sidney a visit in between.

“If you’re really good, maybe Granny will even let you choose the coloured icing for each cake,” Ruby suggested, smiling at the young boy.

“Awesome,” Henry smiled, taking a large bite of his burger.

Finishing up their late lunch, they headed home and settled into the living room.  Henry sat on his bean bag and watched cartoons as Ruby laid on the couch, her head on Regina’s lap as the older woman ran her fingers through soft, brown hair, relaxing for an hour or two before they put their plan into action.


	6. Chapter 6

December 2009

The darkness of the night fell quickly, grey clouds rolled in looking heavy with rain.  Regina, Ruby and Henry sat quietly in the car driving down the main road, the headlights illuminating their way, reflecting off the trace amounts of snow left on sidewalks.  The dashboard read 7:40 p.m.  They turned the corner, pulling up outside of Granny’s.

Putting the car into park, Regina got out and opened Henry’s door.  Walking him inside the building she handed him over to Granny for a night of cake decorating.  Heading back out to the car, Regina got in and let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong Regina?” Ruby asked, sensing that something was bothering her partner.

“I’m just not sure how we’re going to go about this whole Sidney mess, I’m having like a thing in my chest and it’s weird,” Regina replied, not knowing how to describe it.

“I think you’re feeling nervous or anxious or both about confronting Sidney.  What does the thing in your chest feel like?”

“It feels like something has dropped into it I think, I don’t want you to get hurt,” Regina admitted, blushing slightly.

“Regina, baby, I think you’re scared, worried, nervous, and anxious.  It’s okay to feel those things, they’re normal,” Ruby softly said, gently squeezing the shorter woman’s thigh.

“I feel weak, I was always told that feelings blind your judgement and make you a weaker person than what you are when you have no heart,” Regina replied, not making eye contact.

“Feelings give you strength, they may seem like a problem but in the end when you draw on them they help you to make the right choices.  Having a heart is such a strength as it allows you to feel love and it makes you whole.  I know in my heart that I love you,” Ruby said, placing Regina’s hand over her heart.

“I love you too, Ruby, my heart says so,” Regina replied, leaning across the centre console and softly kissing the taller woman.

“If only we could climb into the backseat and kiss all night,” Ruby said, sitting back in her seat as Regina started the car.

“If only we didn’t have other things to do,” Regina responded, turning the indicator on before entering the correct lane.

“I know, so our plan is basically that you call Sidney, ask him to meet you at the hospital down in the psychiatric ward, you chat, I sneak up on him, jab him with a syringe full of anaesthetic and once he drops we lock him up in a room so he won’t try to hurt anyone.”  Winding down her window slightly, Ruby took a deep breath in.

“That’s the plan since you disapprove of all my other plans.  And once we know we’re safe I’ll see if any of the potions I brought over with me from the Enchanted Forest can wipe his memory of the last six months so we can release him and not cause a scene within the town,” Regina said, speeding up to go through a yellow light which turned red before she got to it.

“Your other plans involved torture and death.  And did our Madam Mayor just break the law?” Ruby joked, earning a glare from the woman next to her.

“Apparently so, no one is to know of this,” Regina said, hoping no one else saw.

“Oh Regina, honey, Henry and Granny will know by tomorrow night,” Ruby laughed, finally knowing she wasn’t the only one who had gone through a red light.

“If they find out I’ll tell Granny exactly how her granddaughter cons others into doing her shifts,” Regina smirked, knowing that Ruby was glaring at her.

“I could say that if she finds out our sweet and lovely mayor won’t be getting free chocolate cake brought home at least once a week which would then make Henry a very sad little boy,” Ruby smiled, knowing she had won.

“And they think I’m the evil one,” Regina muttered under her breath.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”  Looking out the window, Ruby watched the buildings went by her; barely anyone was walking the streets.  There were a few men in an alleyway tossing out garbage but that was it. 

The drive to the hospital was silent as both women went over the plan in their heads, trying to perfect their parts.  Trees blew in the wind as the rain started to sprinkle down.  The hospital sign glowed against the darkened sky.  Pulling into the parking lot under the building, Regina slowly drove around it to make sure that no one was lurking in the shadows.  Pulling into the closest spot next to the elevators, they both got out of the car and stood in front of the closed metal doors, pressing the up button.

“Regina, no matter what happens I want you to know I love you,” Ruby said, pulling the shorter woman in for a tight hug.

“I love you too, Ruby,” Regina replied, relaxing into the embrace.

Hearing the elevator ding signalling its arrival they pulled apart and got into the lift.  Pulling a card out of her handbag, Regina swiped it on the pad and hit the button ‘B3’.

“Is that where the cells are?”

“It is, we’re going the quick way, Sidney will need to go in via the front entrance and use the stairs to get to where we are going.”

Feeling the elevator stop, the door swished open and they exited.  Leading the way, Regina walked down the corridor with Ruby following close behind taking the time to admire the shorter woman’s derriere.

Passing a sign on the wall indicating where everything was, Ruby made sure they were headed towards the psychiatric ward.  She knew Regina would never admit to making a mistake or getting lost and with so little time available she wanted to make certain of their way.  Watching Regina push open a large door they entered a sterile waiting room.

“Hello Mayor Mills, how can I be of help?” The nurse at reception asked.

“Hi Myrtle, I’m here to do a news piece to get more funding for this ward as we previously discussed.  When Sidney gets here can you please show him to the waiting corridor?” Regina asked, smiling at the woman.

“Of course, here is the item you requested,” Myrtle responded, handing Regina a kidney dish containing a syringe.

“Thank you,” Regina said, walking down the corridor to the right, indicating for Ruby to follow.

“Does Myrtle know our plan?  Or does she think that Sidney is coming here for a report?” Ruby asked, not understanding what just happened.

“Myrtle knows of our plan.  She’s a lovely lady when she’s on the right side, my side.  She doesn’t have her memories but the curse affected her differently and she remembers everything that happens, she doesn’t have the haze and that makes her a valuable asset to us,” Regina replied, coming to a T intersection in the corridor.

“Okay and what room shall I wait in until it’s time?” Ruby asked feeling uneasy in the corridor as one of the lights flickered.

“The room here at the end, it has blinds that will conceal you so Sidney won’t know you’re here,” Regina replied, walking up to the room and turning the light on.

Placing the kidney dish on the overbed table, Regina moved it under the window so it couldn’t be seen.  “I need to call Sidney; I think we have an hour at most.”

“Maybe an hour and a half if Granny lets Henry choose the decoration style,” Ruby offered up, watching as Regina pulled out her cell phone.

“Hopefully.”  Opening her contacts list, Regina scrolled down to Sidney’s name and hit call.

The phone rang four times before Regina began to tap her foot impatiently waiting for her call to be answered.

_“Madam Mayor, what do I owe for this delightful phone call.”_

“Sidney, hi, I’m currently down at the hospital and I want you to run an article in the paper so we can get more funding for the departments that need better servicing and equipment to help out our small town.  I want you to meet me here ASAP.”  Regina knew if she asked Sidney to jump he would ask how high.

_“Okay Madam Mayor, I’ll grab my camera and leave right away, where shall I meet you?”_

“I’m on underground level three where the psychiatric ward is at the hospital, it is the ward which needs our help the most, Myrtle at reception will help you when you get here.”  Hanging up the phone Regina let out a loud sigh as she placed it back in her pocket.

“He’s coming?”

“He is.”  Running her hand through her hair Regina felt scared, she had never locked someone away without her powers right there to get her what she wanted.  Everyone else in lock up was placed there by nurses with her watching.

“Okay, good.  It’s going to go to plan; luckily I have my strength and no matter what Sidney won’t be able to overpower me.  We have this,” Ruby said, pulling Regina in close to her, reassuring them both.

“I don’t like not being able to help much,” Regina admitted, looking into bright green eyes.

“You’re helping plenty, just not in the way you’re used to.  How about we go over the plan once more and you show me where to go straight after he’s out cold?” Ruby suggested, getting Regina back on track.

Going over their plan and what to do straight after, Regina walked them up another corridor and showed Ruby to a door that had a ‘Do Not Enter’ warning on it.  Regina told Ruby that that’s where the cells are and that only two people have a card to access it.

They headed back out towards the corridor where the room was, there was a row of hard, plastic chairs under the flickering light, the walls had paint peeling off them and it looked miserable.

“Sidney should be here in about five to ten minutes, maybe we should get into position,” Ruby suggested, looking at Regina.

“I think you’re right,” Regina agreed, leaning in quickly to kiss the taller woman before sitting down on the hard chairs.

Ruby walked into the room, leaving the door wide open, and picked up the syringe, holding it securely as she turned off the light and hid in the shadows.  Her vision quickly adjusted to the darkness, allowing her to see what was around her.

It didn’t take long before Ruby’s hearing picked up the distinctive male voice of one Sidney Glass, she took an extra step back just in case and waited for her queue to subdue the man.

“Just down here, Mr. Glass.”  Regina heard Myrtle leading the man toward her and she took in a deep breath and prepared herself.

“Madam Mayor, how are you?” Sidney beamed, greeting Regina.

“I’m good,” Regina replied, nodding at Myrtle to let her know she wasn’t needed any more.  “I called you here as I wanted you to run a story about how the psychiatric ward needs serious funding and for that to go ahead we need to convince the rest of the members of Town Hall.”

“By the looks of it, with the right photos and a well written article we may just convince them.  I can see that the floor is cracked, the walls are peeling, the light fittings are inadequate and half of them are blown.  On my way in I also noticed that two rooms were missing their doors,” Sidney said, looking around the hallway.

“Hopefully the article will get enough attention so we can upgrade the care facilities here,” Regina replied, watching as Sidney took a photo of the flickering light on the ceiling.

“So, while I do this, how was your day Madam Mayor?

“My day was okay, I worked from home, found a note on my front door, picked up my son from school, had dinner with him then dropped him off at the diner to help Granny decorate cakes,” Regina responded, trying to sound like she had an ordinary day.

“Oh someone left you a note did they?  Did they tell you how beautiful you are because, your Majesty, you are absolutely stunning,” Sidney said, stepping closer to Regina.

“What did you just call me?” Regina asked, pretending she had no idea what he was talking about.

“Your majesty, you remember the Enchanted Forest, we were in love,” Sidney tried, grabbing hold of Regina’s arm.

“I have no idea what you’re on about, let go of me.  Were you the one who tried to kill me, who left notes on my door,” Regina asked, feeling herself recoil at the touch of Sidney’s hand on her arm, only for him to grab hold tighter.

“I only did it because no one is good enough for you my Queen, no one but me.  I was trying to cleanse Town Hall so we could take over the town together and rule.  That waitress is nothing compared to me, she will never love you like I love you, let me get rid of her so we can be together, forever,” Sidney pleaded, holding tighter onto Regina.

“Let me go,” Regina repeated, looking up to see Ruby walking up to Sidney, syringe uncapped and ready.

Jabbing Sidney in the arm with the needle, Ruby quickly pushed the plunger down, injecting the entirety of the contents into the man before throwing it onto one of the chairs.  “Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend,” she snarled, pulling Sidney off Regina and dropping him onto the floor.

Stepping over Sidney, Ruby pulled Regina into a hug and placed a kiss on her forehead.  “Are you okay baby?”

“I’m okay, I didn’t expect him to grab me, it kind of scared me, my arm hurts,” Regina admitted, resting her head on Ruby’s chest, listening to her heartbeat.

“You’re safe now he can’t hurt you again,” Ruby soothed, placing another soft kiss on Regina’s head.  “Can I see your arm?”

Letting go of Ruby, Regina stepped back and showed the taller woman her arm. 

“It’s very red, it might bruise,” Ruby frowned, placing the gentlest kiss she could on Regina’s arm.

“Let’s get Sidney into the cells so we can get Henry and head home,” Regina said, stepping over the unconscious form on the floor.

“I like that plan, lead the way,” Ruby replied, grabbing hold of Sidney’s wrist and easily dragging him across the floor and up the corridor, making sure not to take care.

Stopping in front of the door that leads to the cells, Regina inserted a key into the lock and turned it, opening the door.  Turning the hallway light on, Regina led them to an empty room, covered in padding. 

Dragging Sidney into the room, Ruby dumped him onto the floor and exited the room with Regina.  “Hopefully he enjoys his stay,” Ruby said, angry that he hurt Regina.

“How about we go now, he’s put away,” Regina replied, locking the door from the outside.  Exiting the cells, Regina locked the entrance door behind them and headed toward reception.

“Room three in lockdown?” Myrtle asked, smiling at them.

“Yes, room three,” Regina replied, watching as Myrtle added the name John Doe to the patient board.  “Thank you, Myrtle,” Regina added, offering the woman a small smile.

“My pleasure, have a good night Madam Mayor and Miss. Lucas,” Myrtle said, picking up some patient charts.

Exiting the reception area, Ruby and Regina silently walked down the corridors and back to the elevator. Pressing the button for the car park level, the elevator shuddered slightly before ascending and letting them out.

“How long were we there for?” Regina asked, unlocking the car and getting in.

“About forty minutes I guess,” Ruby replied, putting on her seatbelt.  “Should I call Granny and ask how much longer the cake decorating will be?”

“Please,” Regina replied, wanting to know how long they had.

Calling Granny, Ruby put her phone on speaker.

_“Hello, grandchild.”_

“Hi Granny, Regina and I were just wondering how the decorating is going?”

_“It’s going well, we finished about twenty minutes ago, you two have been gone for over an hour and a half.”_

“We’re sorry Granny, we didn’t realise it was that long,” Ruby apologised, checking the clock on the dashboard.

_“It’s okay, Henry was getting tired so he’s asleep in one of the spare rooms upstairs.  I can wake him or if you two would like the night to yourselves he can stay here.”_

“If he’s asleep I’d rather not wake him,” Regina said, thankful that Granny was happy to watch her son.

_“Then you two can enjoy a quiet night and Miss. Mills, I expect you to respect my granddaughter in every way, have a good night.”_

Looking at her phone, Ruby coughed to clear her throat.  “I think we can safely assume Granny knows about us.”

“She definitely does.”  Driving to her house on Mifflin, the roads were quiet and the rain was still lightly sprinkling, with no sign of snow.  All traffic lights were thankfully green.

“I think I need a hot shower and a good night’s sleep,” Ruby said as they pulled into the driveway.

“I do too,” Regina agreed, getting out of the car and walking to the front door.

Entering the house, Ruby kicked her shoes off and took Regina’s handbag off her and placed it on the table.  Heading toward the living room where she saw Regina head to, she walked in and took the shorter woman by the hand and led her to the bathroom.  Taking off their dirty clothes, Ruby turned the hot water on and added some cold, fixing the temperature to how Regina liked it.

Getting into the shower, Ruby gently guided Regina under the spray of water and softly rubbed the shorter woman’s back, massaging her shoulders.

“That feels really good,” Regina moaned, resting her head against the tiled wall.

“Good, you need to relax,” Ruby replied, continuing to massage her partner.

Getting some honeydew scented shower gel onto her hands Ruby rubbed it into Regina’s back working out the knots around her shoulder blades.  Finishing up the massage, they washed themselves, rinsed off, and got out, drying themselves off in the bathroom.

Heading into their bedroom, Ruby laid down on the bed and pulled Regina into her arms.  Regina snuggled into the taller woman’s side and ran her hand over the smooth surface of Ruby’s stomach, running her fingers along her sides, and dangerously close to her centre.

“If you keep that up I may just have to pin you beneath me and kiss you,” Ruby smirked, enjoying the sensations running through her body.

“Maybe I want you to do just that and maybe something more,” Regina replied, gently running her nails over Ruby’s sides and lower stomach, purposely resting her hand just above the green eyed woman’s pubic bone.

Sliding Regina onto her back, Ruby straddled her and leant down, teasingly pulling back a few times before finally placing a soft kiss onto Regina’s lips. 

“Just how I like it,” Regina smiled, her eyes closed as she drank in the feeling of Ruby’s naked body against hers.

Leaning behind her, Ruby pulled the sheet up and over them as she giggled and started to kiss Regina wanting to share an intimate night with the woman she loved.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken me forever to update this. I have all 26 chapters written so hopefully I can update it regularly. Thank you to everyone who has left a review or a kudos, they are very much appreciated :)

March 2010

Blue smoke filled the room, billowing around, getting thicker, a cauldron bubbled spilling sludge onto the floor, sizzling as it hit the basement floor.  Two brunettes coughed loudly, trying to make their way up the stairs through the thick haze.

Hands went out in all directions trying to feel their way around, they grasped at nothing before finally landing on a solid object near the stairs.  Reaching out for the other person, they stumbled up the concrete platforms and pushed the door open, falling through it and landing on the backs, kicking the door closed behind them.

“That didn’t work,” Regina coughed as she sat up.

“Definitely not,” Ruby agreed, scooting backward and leaning against the wall.

“I feel like I’ve inhaled bubblegum,” Regina said, trying to take a deep breath.  Feeling a pain in her chest she coughed again, wheezing as she tried to breathe normally.

Moving next to Regina, Ruby rubbed the older woman’s back hoping it would help her lungs function properly.  “Stay here, I’m going to go get you a glass of water.”  Getting up, Ruby hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a cup, filling it with water.  She could hear Regina coughing painfully and dry retching.

Heading back to Regina, Ruby knelt down and helped Regina into a sitting position so she could sip at the water.  Rubbing the shorter woman’s back again, Ruby felt Regina lean into her touch.

“I need the bathroom,” Regina said, trying to get up.

Helping Regina onto her feet, Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist and led Regina to the bathroom.  Regina let go quickly and ran to the toilet, throwing up violently as she fell onto her knees, clutching the toilet seat.

Moving over to Regina, Ruby gathered the shorter woman’s hair and held it back, rubbing Regina’s back once again. 

Regina felt as if she couldn’t breathe, her throat was sticky and dry simultaneously, chunks of navy blue potion came up, stinging her tongue.  Her stomach seemed as if it was tying itself into a tight knot. 

“It’s okay baby, bring it all up, better out than in,” Ruby soothed, as another round of vomiting began.

Tightly shutting her eyes, Regina couldn’t stop the vomiting, her lungs burned, her head felt dizzy from lack of oxygen and the only thing keeping her grounded was the hand on her back.

She didn’t know how long had passed before she fell backward and took in deep, sharp breaths.  The faint sound of the toilet being flushed in the background made her realise that her ears were blocked from her jaw working overtime.  There were arms around her suddenly, holding her, making sure she was safe.

“That’s it, deep breaths,” Ruby said, leaning up and grabbing the hand towel from the sink and wetting it with cold water.

Wiping Regina’s face down, Ruby placed a soft kiss onto the shorter woman’s temple.  “Let me know when you feel ready to get up, we’ll get you changed and into bed.”

“If I don’t move now, I won’t at all,” Regina replied, feeling herself being picked up and gently set on her feet.  “Mouthwash please, I need it.”

Opening the bottle of minty liquid, Ruby handed it to Regina and watched as the older woman took a swig out of the bottle, swishing it around her mouth and spitting it out into the sink after thirty seconds. 

“Can you stand on your own for a minute?” Ruby asked, lightly holding her around the waist.

“I can,” Regina responded, leaning against the sink.

“Good, we need to get you out of those clothes,” Ruby said, looking at the blue gunk over the white shirt Regina had on.

“Okay,” Regina agreed, letting Ruby undo and remove her blouse, followed by her shoes and pants.

Standing there in her bra, underwear, and socks, Regina realised just how cold she was.  She was shivering and Ruby was warm against her.  It was also spring so she didn’t understand why she was cold.

“Come on, let’s get you into bed,” Ruby said, moving to pick up Regina bridal style.  Carrying her partner up the stairs, she felt Regina snuggle into her embrace, lightly placing a kiss on her shoulder.

Opening the door to their bedroom, Ruby placed Regina on the bed and pulled the covers up around her, thankful she wasn’t bothered to make the bed this morning. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, I’m going to grab you some water, pain killers, and a bucket in case you feel the need to vomit again.  I won’t be long.”  Placing a kiss on Regina’s forehead, Ruby left the room and headed downstairs.

Walking downstairs to the kitchen, Ruby opened up one of the top cupboards and pulled Regina’s favourite cup out from the back of the highest shelf.  It was plastic and had a lid on it with a straw, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia holding a lightsaber adorned the side of it.  Ruby found the cup a few months ago while cleaning and asked Regina about it who in return went bright red and refused to speak about until Ruby had coaxed the information out of her.  Who would have guessed that the former Evil Queen was a Star Wars fan.

Ruby filled the cup with cold water, put the lid on, and grabbed the first aid kit.  She searched through the multiple shelves inside of the large box before coming across a foil of ibuprofen.  Noticing a stack of emesis bags, she took two out and added them to her pile.  Closing the box up, Ruby put it back in its place, grabbed the items she had out and headed back up to the bedroom.

“How are you feeling baby?” Ruby asked, setting the items down on the bedside table.

“Crappy,” Regina responded picking up the water and taking a few sips.

“I grabbed a couple of vomit bags just in case,” Ruby said, opening one up and laying it down next to Regina.

“Come cuddle?” Regina asked feeling exposed as she hated to be seen as weak.

“Of course,” Ruby replied, taking off her shoes and sliding into bed next to Regina.

Wrapping herself around Ruby, Regina laid her head in the crook of the taller woman’s neck and let out a sigh, feeling slightly better.  She felt weak all over and blamed herself for letting this happen.  If she didn’t jump right into mixing various potions around without any magic she doubted that it would have exploded in her face, spewed liquid everywhere and filled the room with smoke.

“You’re nice and warm,” Regina said, placing her leg over Ruby’s.

“And you’re my little snuggle bug,” Ruby replied, resting her cheek on Regina’s head.

“I’m no such thing,” Regina responded, not bothering to move or swat at the taller woman.

“You are when you’re not feeling well and it’s cute, who would have guessed that the Evil Queen is the most adorable person ever,” Ruby giggled, feeling Regina roll onto her a little more.

“If you ever repeat that to anyone I’ll let you play roommates with Sidney,” Regina tried, not sounding intimidating at all.

“Speaking of the cells, that girl in the padded room, the brunette one, could we give her a few things or make her room nicer?” Ruby asked, having had thought about it for a while now after getting a glimpse of her as she was dragging Sidney along the ground to his new room.

“I don’t know,” Regina replied, knowing exactly who Ruby was talking about.

“Regina, please, she’s scared and I’m sure if we treated her better she may feel better,” Ruby said, pouting slightly.

“When I cast the curse I put her in there as revenge without an identity in this town.  Her name is Belle, she’s the daughter of Sir Maurice who rules over some kingdom that was attacked by ogres.  They made a deal with Rumplestiltskin and Belle left her kingdom to be his personal maid.  She fell in love with him and gave him true loves kiss but he rejected it as it was turning him.  Belle is a useful pawn for when the curse breaks,” Regina explained, realising how cruel what she said sounded.

“She’s still a human being and deserves to be shown some humanity.  Regina, show me how you’re changing, give her a nicer room with things to do, the nicer you are to her the nicer she’ll be if the curse is broken.  I know you’re a good person and I know you don’t like seeing them all down there.  You can keep her locked down there but please give her better room, I’ll even arrange it all with Myrtle,” Ruby offered, hoping that Regina wouldn’t get angry.

“We can make her a new room together, maybe put a few books in there about this world and some fairytales,” Regina offered, not able to say no to her partner.

“Excellent,” Ruby smiled, kissing the top of Regina’s head.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess, I feel bad that you have to deal with all of my past actions and this curse.  Being here without magic has taught me to find other ways to do my bidding and also a few useful skills around the house.  I felt incomplete and decided to adopt Henry, he showed me that my heart wasn’t entirely black and cold and that I could indeed feel love and care for another human being.  Henry became my world but I still felt like I was missing something.  The day we kissed and it was true love, I was so scared.  You got your memories back, you remembered, and I had this horrible feeling that you wanted nothing to do with me once you realised who I was.  Instead you wanted me and you stood by side and got to know me.  You love me and it’s a feeling I never knew I’d ever be able to feel.  I’d do anything for you and Henry,” Regina admitted, guilt racking through her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said this but the curse isn’t exactly a bad thing.  I get to live in peace without having people hunting me down.  The curse suppresses the wolf so I don’t have to go through the agonising transformation once a month and be scared shitless that I’m going to murder someone I care about.  I have my strength and hearing, it’s not as strong as it is back in the Enchanted Forest but it’s more than enough to get me by here.  I’ve also been given the chance to spend time getting to know my true love without any judgement and spend time with her cute as son.  It kept me with Granny too and I’m so grateful for that,” Ruby replied, reassuring Regina.

“I think you got one of the best outcomes while under the curse and one of the best wardrobe options for me,” Regina smirked, placing a kiss on Ruby’s neck, feeling better enough to flirt.

“I know you and the rest of Storybrooke enjoyed my barely-there options,” Ruby laughed, glad she was able to cover up again.

“It’s only 12:30 p.m. but I think I might need to rest,” Regina said, feeling her eyes getting heavy as a wave of exhaustion hit her.

“I think you definitely need a nap, we’ve been working hard on memory wiping potions for weeks now and have just started the brewing part,” Ruby replied, beginning to rub Regina’s back soothingly.

“And the first attempt ended with a potion blowing up in my face and making me feel like utter crap,” Regina grumped, still chastising herself over her rookie move.

“We all learn from our mistakes, we’ll just be careful next time and maybe take a trip to the hardware store beforehand and buy a few welders face shields to be absolutely safe.  I’m surprised your lungs and stomach survived the potion.  How did you even ingest it?” Ruby asked, only now wondering how it happened.

“I made the stupid mistake of swallowing instead of spitting, I highly regret it,” Regina answered, closing her eyes and bringing her hand to rest on Ruby’s chest.

Snorting at Regina’s response, Ruby hugged the shorter woman closer to her and continued to rub her back, she watched as Regina’s face relaxed as she succumbed to sleep.  Ruby brushed the loose strands of hair from her partner’s face to behind her ear and placed a soft kiss onto her head.

“I love you, Regina,” Ruby whispered before closing her own eyes and enjoying the feeling of the person she loved in her arms.


	8. Chapter 8

June 2010

 

The bright blue sky filled the vision of Ruby and Regina.  The grass was soft beneath them as they cuddled up together.  Fluffy white clouds floated by, changing shape as the wind blew softly.  The sun glowed in the background, looking like it was going to set very shortly.

“That one there, it’s a bunny,” Ruby said, pointing to the biggest one in the sky.

“It looks more like a guinea pig to me,” Regina laughed, rolling onto her side and looking into Ruby’s green eyes.

“I think that one above the tree looks kind of like a flower,” Ruby pointed out, her eyes meeting Regina’s browns.

“I love you,” Regina softly said, feeling her heart swell as she looked at the woman next to her.

“I love you too, happy one year baby,” Ruby replied, leaning up and placing a tender kiss on Regina’s lips.

“One year with the woman of my dreams,” Regina smiled, snuggling into Ruby’s side.

“I think this was the best late lunch date ever, all of my favourites with my favourite, and a dinner date for later tonight,” Ruby said, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.

Feeling content, Regina laid there in her partner’s arms.  She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have found her true love during one of the darkest curses ever.  She had the perfect partner who supported her and showed her how to be a better person.  Ruby was there no matter how badly she screwed up and she let her know what she did wrong and the right ways to fix it.  Regina also felt blessed that she had such an amazing son who looked up to her and had no problem accepting Ruby into their family.  Seeing her son and her partner together made her feel like she had everything she ever wanted, her heart always swelled with pride and felt as if it was going to explode with love.

Hearing even breaths, Regina looked up and noticed that Ruby had somehow fallen asleep.  She smiled and laid her head back down, wrapping an arm around Ruby’s waist.  Her mind was clear and nothing was bothering her, she just enjoyed lying there, soaking in the day, thinking of how blessed she actually was. 

Ruby didn’t know how long had passed before she awoke, feeling water dropping onto her face she looked up to see that a sun shower had started in the summer month of June.  The warmth of Regina penetrated her side and she looked to the woman and gently woke her up.  “Regina, wake up baby, it’s raining,” Ruby softly said, feeling Regina shift in her arms.

Getting up rather quickly once she was awake enough to comprehend what had been said, Regina grabbed their picnic basket and took Ruby’s hand, quickly making their way to the large tree, hoping to find some shelter to organise themselves before heading to the car. 

Fishing around her handbag for her car keys, Ruby pulled them out after a minute and held them up in success.  Making their way to the car, Ruby unlocked the doors and they quickly got in.  Heading back home, Ruby drove carefully, slowing down for the turns and stopping with plenty of room in front of her.

By the time they pulled into the driveway on Mifflin, the sun shower had stopped and it looked as if no rain had fallen at all.  It had been replaced with hot, humid wind.  Regina grabbed the picnic basket and handed it to the taller woman so she could get the house keys out of her pocket.

Entering the warm house, Ruby placed the basket by the door and walked into the living room, wrapping her arms around Regina from behind.  “What would my love like to do?”

“I’d like to cuddle with you on the couch and maybe watch a movie with the air conditioner on.  I wouldn’t mind a glass of sparkling apple juice either, I hide some in the wine fridge so Henry won’t drink it all,” Regina answered, feeling a kiss against her head before she was released.

“Take a seat on the couch and I’ll be right back,” Ruby smiled, heading toward the kitchen.

Bringing out two drinks, apple juice for Regina and an ice cold coke for herself, she placed them on the coffee table before walking over to the entertainment unit and pulling out the pile of new movies, feeling the coolness of the air conditioner filling the room.

“So, what movie should we watch?” Ruby asked sitting down next to Regina on the couch, the stack of DVD’s between them.

“I’ve always wanted to watch the new Star Trek movie, I just haven’t found the time yet,” Regina responded, picking the DVD out of the pile.

“We both do like a little Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto,” Ruby winked, putting the DVD’s beside her as Regina pulled the plastic off their selection.

Handing Ruby the DVD, Regina picked up the remotes and sat back and got comfortable, setting the TV up.

Placing the disk into the player Ruby smiled as Regina closed it with the remote, the DVD loading.

Getting to the menu of the disc, Regina felt a weird sensation under her leg and realised it was her phone vibrating.  She looked to Ruby confused and answered the call, putting it on speaker phone.

“Hello.”

_“Good afternoon Madam Mills, I’m calling from Storybrooke Elementary to inform you that your son, Henry, had an accident today...”_

“What happened to my son?” Regina asked, feeling panic rise inside of her.  

“He climbed up a tree that was in an out of bounds area and he fell from one of the branches.  An Ambulance is here now to take him to hospital.  I’m sorry this event took place, Madam Mayor.”

Hanging up the phone, Regina sat there shocked.  Henry was a good boy and had never done anything like that before.

“Regina, let’s go to the hospital,” Ruby said, pulling Regina in for a hug.  Hearing everything thanks to her wolf abilities.

Gripping tightly onto the back of Ruby’s shirt, Regina gathered herself and let out the breath she was holding.

Releasing Regina from her hold, Ruby stood up and offered a hand to Regina, pulling her up.  Grabbing her car keys, they headed out to the car and got in.

Speeding down the roads toward the hospital, Ruby tried to get there as quickly as she could.  She could sense Regina panicking next to her even though her face was a mask of composure.

“These idiots need to get off the road,” Regina said through gritted teeth.

“I know they do, we’ll be there soon,” Ruby replied, reaching over and quickly squeezing Regina’s clenched hand.

Turning a corner, Ruby changed lanes and pulled into the car park at the hospital.  Getting out of the car, they quickly walked up the front stairs to the building and entered the reception area.

Regina walked straight up to the window and slammed her hands down, the woman behind the glass chewing loudly on her gum.

“Henry Mills, where is my son?” Regina said, death glaring the woman.

The woman looked up and then at her computer, typing in Henry’s name to see where he was.  “He’s in treatment room one with Doctor M. P.  Please go through the doors and take the first right.”

Marching away from the desk in the direction to the emergency room, Regina pushed the doors open, turned right and followed the signs down the corridor until they came to treatment room one.

“Mum!”  Henry said, glad to see his mother there.

“Henry, are you okay?” Regina asked, walking up to her son and wiping the remaining tears from his face.

“My head and arm hurt, Doctor M. P. Just stepped out to go over my x-rays,” Henry informed his mother, noticing Ruby in the doorway.  “Hi Ruby, the doctor thinks I might need a cast.”

“If you get a cast you can get all of your friends to sign it,” Ruby replied, entering the room and standing next to Regina.

“Madam Mayor, Miss Lucas, I’m Doctor M. P. And I’ll be treating Henry today.  He had a pretty bad fall at school, we’ve taken x-rays already and have run a few tests, he has a broken left arm and a concussion.  We’ve already given him some painkillers.  We need to put a cast on to stabilise the break and he can go home today,” The doctor explained, giving Regina a sympathetic smile.

“Okay, good, is there anything he should and shouldn’t do?” Regina asked, wanting the best for her son.

“He should get plenty of rest, no sports, no running around, nothing that requires concentration.  Watching the television should be okay, no hot baths or showers either, lukewarm only so his blood pressure doesn’t rise or drop,” Doctor M. P. responded, moving to set up a table behind her.

“When we get home you’re going straight to bed, mister,” Regina said, hand on Henry’s shoulder.

“Okay, my head really hurts Mum,” Henry sniffed, trying to move his arm and cringing in pain.

“It’ll feel better soon,” Regina softly said, kissing Henry on the head.

Hearing a cart being wheeled down the corridor, Ruby turned to the door and saw a young nurse entering with everything ready to place a plaster cast. 

“Thank you, Nancy,” Doctor M. P. said, moving the cart over to the table she prepared.  “Can I please get you to come over here Henry?”

Getting up and almost losing his balance, he felt an arm around his shoulders and looked up to see his mother helping him.  Heading over to the seat the doctor pulled out, Henry sat down and placed his broken arm on the table.

Standing behind Henry with her hand still on his shoulder, Regina watched as the doctor placed a cast onto her son’s arm.  The layers of plaster got thicker and thicker, immobilising the limb.  Regina felt as if it was all her fault, she thought she taught Henry better than to climb trees, that he needed to be careful.  No one had broken a bone so far in Storybrooke and she had no idea how the curse would affect the healing process.

“There we are, all done, we just need to let the plaster set now and that should take fifteen minutes.  It won’t be fully dry for forty eight hours so try not to get it wet in any way, I’ll be back soon with discharge papers and painkillers,” the doctor explained, handing Regina a piece of paper with instructions.

Waiting until the doctor left the room, Henry looked up at his mother.  “I’m sorry Mum,” he pouted, his eyes still red from crying.

“It’s okay, please be careful Henry, I was so worried,” Regina said, bending down and hugging Henry to her.

“I promise I won’t do it again, I just wanted to show Sean that I wasn’t afraid,” Henry replied, leaning into his mother.  “My head hurts and I feel dizzy.”

“When we get home you can take a nap.  I’ll make lasagne for dinner as I know both you and Ruby love it,” Regina said, looking up to her partner who playing with the fake skeleton.

“I’m sorry I ruined your day,” Henry softly said, looking down at his feet.

“You did no such thing little dude, everything is more fun when you’re there,” Ruby replied, walking over to Henry and ruffling up his hair.

“If you behave when we get home we’ll let you watch the new Star Trek movie with us,” Regina added, hoping for a non eventful night.

“Cool, I can tell everyone I got to watch it before them and I’m only nine!” Henry excitedly said, smiling at the two women.

Continuing their conversation, Regina dotted over her child and smothered him with love until he pushed her off him, noticing that Ruby had turned her head toward the door like she heard something he didn’t.

“That cast should be set now, I’ll just get your mum to sign these discharge papers and you can get out of here,” Doctor M. P. said as she entered the room.  Turning to Regina she handed the mayor a bottle of liquid panadol for kids.  “Here is his pain medication, and here are the forms I need you to sign.  I’d like to see him again in two weeks for a check up.”

Quickly signing the paperwork, Regina handed it back to the doctor.  She helped Henry up and they moved out of the room.  With the six steps required to leave the room Henry had somehow managed to trip over his feet four times.

“Come here little dude,” Ruby said, bending down and picking Henry up like one would with a toddler. 

Not resisting, Henry rested his head on Ruby’s shoulder and looked to him mother who had her hand on the small of Ruby’s back.

Making their way out to the car, Ruby set Henry down and unlocked the car.  Getting in they headed home, doing the speed limit.  Ruby turned a few corners before they came onto Mifflin and pulled into the driveway, her car parked next to Regina’s.

Looking into the backseat, Regina noticed that Henry had somehow fallen asleep in less than ten minutes.  “He’s sleeping,” Regina smiled, looking to Ruby.

“He’s a perfect kid,” Ruby smiled back, leaning across and kissing Regina on the lips.

Getting out of the car, Regina held her seat forward as Ruby leant in and picked Henry up, silently cursing to herself that they both had two door cars.  Closing the car door quietly Regina sped up and opened the front door of the house, allowing Ruby to easily manoeuvre inside.

Heading upstairs Ruby placed Henry down on his bed.  Grabbing the blanket that was folded up on the dresser, Ruby placed it over him, tucking him and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before heading downstairs to find Regina.

Entering the kitchen, Ruby found Regina pulling out the ingredients required for lasagne.  “How can I help?” she asked, knowing it was best not to question the older woman.

“Can you please get out the glass dish, the deepest one?  I want to make sure there is a quick meal available over the next few days,” Regina asked, pulling out the chopping board and a dish to soak lasagne sheets in.

Pulling out the dish requested Ruby placed it on the clear space on the kitchen bench.  “Do you want me to do the lasagne sheets?”

“Yes, please,” Regina replied, peeling the onion and beginning to chop it up.

Working together, they prepped the lasagne and got it ready to be placed in the oven.  Filling the sink with water, Regina began to wash up what was there busying herself.

“Oww!  Shit!” Regina swore, pulling her hand out of the sink, blood running down her hand and arm as it mixed with water.

“Regina, what’s wro... oh crap, your hand,” Ruby said, grabbing some paper towel and pressing is down into Regina’s palm, trying to stop the bleeding.

“It’ll be fine,” Regina replied, hissing in pain.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Ruby mumbled, removing the paper towel to examine the wound.  “It’s not deep, but I’d like to clean it out, place some gauze on it, and wrap it up.  You have no say in the matter.”  Putting her foot down, Ruby led Regina to the table and sat her down on one of the seats.

Getting the first aid kit, Ruby put it on the table and opened it up.  She pulled out the Betadine spray and sprayed the antiseptic onto Regina’s palm, keeping hold of the shorter woman’s hand as Regina hissed in pain.  Placing some gauze over the wound, Ruby wrapped it, and cleaned up.

“How did you manage to do this baby?” Ruby gently asked, sitting down on one of the chairs, close to Regina.

“I wasn’t paying attention when I put my hand in the sink and this happened,” Regina vaguely explained, her eyes wandering around the room.

“Regina, what’s on your mind?  Do not saying nothing because I know it’s something.”  Taking Regina’s uninjured hand in hers, Ruby gave it a quick squeeze.

“I feel like it’s my fault that Henry got injured, I should have been a better mother and made sure he knew the dangers,” Regina opened up, looking into green eyes.

“It’s not your fault at all.  Henry knew what he was doing.  You’ve been nothing but a wonderful mother to him.  You need to stop beating yourself up my love,” Ruby said, leaning forward and hugging Regina.

“What did I do to deserve you, you always know how to make me feel better,” Regina replied, kissing Ruby on the lips.

“Well, we were born to be each other’s true love, so I don’t know, you tell me,” Ruby playfully answered, pretending she had to think about it for a second.

“Happy one year anniversary my love,” Regina said, running her fingers down the side of Ruby’s face.

“Happy anniversary too, I can believe it’s been a year,” Ruby replied, kissing Regina again.

“I can’t either,” Regina responded, resting her forehead against Ruby’s.

“Since Henry is down for a nap, and we’ve finished prepping for dinner, how about we go watch some TV and cuddle?” Ruby suggested, wanting Regina to relax.

“That sounds good, I kind of want to watch Sailor Moon, you got me addicted,” Regina replied, following Ruby into the living room. 

Connecting the external hard drive to the TV and turning it on, Ruby went into the USB option and put on the episode they were up to.  Regina cuddled into her side and smiled as Ruby wrapped her arm around the brown eyed woman, the cool air blowing directly on them as Ruby pulled Regina closer as she settled into a comfortable position with their favourite cartoon playing on the television.   


	9. Chapter 9

August 2010

 

Thunder rumbled loudly, echoing throughout the town.  Rain pelted down jumping off the ground as if it were a gymnast.  The wind was so strong it tore umbrellas out of people’s hands, turning them inside out as they were dragged through the streets in all directions.  The heat of the hot summer’s day lingered, some residents unable to tell if they were sweating or covered in rain.

Ruby was working the closing shift at the diner; barely anyone was there apart from her, Granny, and Henry.  Regina was working late at Town Hall, her new office finally completed after months of work.  Ruby had offered to take Henry with her as the babysitter had cancelled.

Wiping down one of the tables Ruby sighed as she noticed that one of the kids who was here for the dinner rush left ketchup all over the corner of the table.  She was used to this mess, it happened at least once a week, all from the same boy.  She just wished that the kid would literally grow up so she wouldn’t have to spend a good ten minutes scrubbing it clean.

Walking up to the counter, Ruby leant over and grabbed the cleaning spray, a concoction of Granny’s making, very potent.  She sprayed the stain and scrubbed at it until it was gone.  Moving onto the rest of the tables she cleaned them and began to put the seats evenly around the tables.

“Ruby, I don’t understand this math question,” Henry said, looking to the tall brunette who was pushing a chair in.

“Let me have a look,” Ruby replied, sitting at the counter next to the young boy and looking over his homework. 

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she raised her eyebrows and stared at the question.  “This literally makes no sense to me.  Like I know how to do these kind of math problems but this one has no answer.”

“Maybe it’s a trick question so I don’t have to do it,” Henry smiled, trying to get out of it.

“You’re not getting off the hook that easy, Mister.  I’m going to send a photo of it to your mum and see if she knows how to do it,” Ruby replied, quickly snapping a picture of it and sending it to Regina.

“Mum’s like thirty six years old, you’re only twenty four, if you don’t know I doubt she will,” Henry responded, picking up his chocolate milkshake and taking a sip.

“Your mum is a very smart woman and knows a lot more than I ever will,” Ruby said, resting her chin on her hands.

“I think you could give mum a run for her money, you’re very smart too.  Mum has no idea about feelings and it really bothers me sometimes,” Henry admitted, looking at his almost complete homework.

“She’s learning, she knows the basics and they are improving by the day, with time hopefully when someone gets in her way she won’t yell at them,” Ruby responded, having witnessed Regina’s outburst at Leroy during the lunch rush when he stood back and accidently bumped into her.

“I know she loves us and she does show it at home but when we go out with her it’s like she closes up the second she sees someone else,” Henry said, looking at the green eyed woman.

“I think that has to do with how she was raised by her mother.  I’ve only ever heard your mum mention her mother once and it wasn’t in a good way.  I know Regina loved her father dearly.  I’ve gotten her to hold my hand a fair few times in public, even to cuddle at the park when no one is around.  I’ve even manage to kiss her a few times too,” Ruby replied, laughing at the expression on Henry’s face.

“Eww, I don’t need to know that you and my mum kiss,” Henry shuddered, finding the idea of his mother doing anything like kissing weird.

“One day you’ll find someone who you love who loves you back and you’ll kiss them,” Ruby laughed, the expression on the young boy’s face now one of disgust.

“The rain is getting really heavy,” Henry said, looking at the door, only able to see sheets of rain falling, wanting to change the topic of conversation.

“It is, I hope no one is going to try to drive in this weather,” Ruby responded, hoping Regina would stay at the office until it got lighter.

“When it’s like normal rain and not like this would we be able to go home?” Henry asked, not understanding why adults did things the way they did.

“The second it lets up, I want you both to get out of here, I’ll finish closing up.  I can’t have my only granddaughter and the mayor’s son getting into an accident,” Granny said, walking out of the back room and into the diner.

“Thanks Granny,” Ruby smiled, glad she had a wonderful grandmother.

“Granny, do you know why the town doesn’t like my mum?” Henry asked, looking up at the older woman.

“Henry, honey, it’s not that they don’t like your mum.  They’re scared of her for some reason and I really don’t know what it is.  To me, I think your mum is a good lady who takes care of this town and makes sure we have everything we could possibly need.  She makes sure all our buildings are safe and that the town is clean and happy.  Your mum also makes Ruby very happy.  She loves her dearly and cares deeply for her which makes me as a grandmother extremely happy to know that my granddaughter is happy,” Granny answered, letting them both know how she felt.

“Thanks Granny, that makes me feel better,” Henry responded, getting up and hugging the silver haired woman.

“I should probably clean up in the back,” Ruby said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

Emptying the dish washer, Ruby stacked the dishes in their correct places.  She knew the routine off by heart and it was like second nature to her.  Stacking the dishwasher with the last of the dirty dishes, she set the cycle and turned it on.  Ruby wiped down all of the benches and mopped the floor, changing the bin liner she placed the full bag of garbage just outside of the back door, not wanting to head out into the rain.

Looking at the time, exactly twenty minutes had passed, the time she had down for the cleaning of the kitchen.  Her shift finished in half an hour and she hoped that the storm would ease up by then.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked to see if Regina had messaged her back about Henry’s homework problem.  Noticing no response, she walked upstairs and tried to call Regina instead.  The phone rang and rang and rang until it finally went to voicemail. 

It felt like something had suddenly dropped in her stomach; she felt sick and could only think of the worst case scenarios possible.  Heading back into the kitchen, she opened the back door to see how heavy the rain was.  It had slightly eased up but was still pretty heavy.

Heading back into the diner, Ruby smiled at Granny and Henry who were packing up Henry’s school bag.

“The rain has eased, you two head off,” Granny said, taking the empty milkshake cup and walking into the kitchen.

“Come on kiddo, let’s go see if your mum is home yet,” Ruby smiled, trying to hide her worry from the young boy.

Taking Henry’s school bag Ruby threw it over her shoulder and led them out of the back door, saying goodbye to Granny.

Quickly heading toward the car they got in and closed the doors, only covered in a light layer of water.  The rain was still heavy but at least Ruby could see through it.

Driving slowly Ruby had the windscreen wipers going full blast.  She turned the corner and headed toward Mifflin, hoping Regina was home and her phone had just died.  The rain made the roads slippery and every turn and every time she crossed a white line on the road she prayed the car wouldn’t lose traction.

Let out a deep breath Ruby turned onto Mifflin and drove up to the house.  Not one light was on and the driveway was empty.

“Mum’s not home,” Henry said, looking out of the window.

“She must still be at the office, I’m going to quickly swing by Town Hall to see if she’s still there, sound like a plan?”  Driving to the end of the road, Ruby turned the corner and headed back into town.

“What if Mum isn’t at Town Hall?” Henry asked, worried that something had happened to his mother.

“I’m sure she’s there, if she would have gone somewhere else she would have called.  Sometimes I think your mum forgets what the time is and doesn’t realise how late it’s getting,” Ruby assured Henry.

“Okay, I think the rain is getting heavier again, hopefully Mum is keeping an eye on the weather,” Henry replied, watching the rain hit the glass windows of the car as it turned extremely slowly around a corner.

Coming up to Town Hall, Ruby pulled into the driveway and drove right up to the front doors.  She could see Regina’s car still parked in her allotted spot and let out a sigh.  Sniffing deeply and concentrating on the sounds around her she picked nothing up. 

“Are you going to be okay here while I go inside quickly and see how much longer your mum is going to be?” Ruby asked, not really wanting to get Henry any wetter than he already was.

“I’ll be fine,” Henry smiled, noticing the worried look in Ruby’s eyes.

“I’m going to lock the doors just in case anyone comes.  Don’t open them at all.  I’ve got the keys so I’ll unlock them when we get back.  Behave please,” Ruby said, getting out of the car and locking the doors, leaving one window slightly cracked to let fresh air in.

She quickly ran to the door and opened it, stepping foot inside of the building.  Making her way to Regina’s office she saw light coming from the room, the door open.

Entering the office, paperwork was scattered all over the floor.  Regina’s phone was precariously dangling off the end of the desk and the woman herself was fast asleep, head on the table.

Smiling brightly, Ruby walked up to her partner and laughed slightly when she saw the small puddle of drool on top of a building proposal.  Pulling out her phone she quickly snapped up a photo before bending down and gently rubbing the shorter woman’s back.  “Regina, wake up, come on baby.”

“Go ‘way,” Regina mumbled, moving slightly and landing right in the puddle of drool.  Snapping her eyes open to the sudden wetness on her face, she looked up and saw Ruby laughing, reaching for a tissue.  “What?”

Grabbing a handful of tissues and wiping down the side of Regina’s face, Ruby composed herself, “You fell asleep at your desk and when I just tried to wake you, you moved over and went face first into a pool of drool.”

“I do not... oh,” Regina said, noticing the puddle on her paperwork.

“Let’s go home baby, it’s almost 11:00 p.m. the storm has just let up slightly,” Ruby replied, helping Regina up.

“Where’s Henry?” Regina asked, realising her son wasn’t with them.

“He’s in the car, I didn’t want him to get wet since he was sneezing last night,” Ruby answered, handing Regina her phone.

“I hope he’s not coming down with anything,” Regina said, putting her jacket on and picking up her handbag.

“Hopefully.  I’d like you to come home in my car too, you’re exhausted and I don’t want you driving in this weather.”  Turning off the office light, Ruby led them down the hall.

“I’m not going to argue, I need a hot shower and bed,” Regina replied, heading out of the building.

Getting to the front door of Town Hall, Regina quickly locked up as Ruby unlocked the car and got in, starting the engine.  Joining her partner and son in the car, she greeted Henry and asked him about his day as they drove home, the drive taking twice as long as usual.

 Arriving on Mifflin, Ruby parked as close as she could to the path leading to the house.  She quickly moved toward the front door and unlocked it, ushering Regina and Henry inside.

“Go shower Henry, then straight to bed, it’s way past your bedtime,” Regina said, hugging her son quickly.

“Will do,” Henry replied, heading up the stairs.

“Brush your teeth too, Mister,” Ruby called out after him, knowing that he had to be reminded daily.

“I think we should go shower too.”  Holding onto Ruby’s hand, Regina led them upstairs and into her bedroom.  Locking her door she turned to Ruby who was already half way across the room.

“Come on, I can hear those double jets calling my name,” Ruby said, taking her clothes off unceremoniously and throwing them into the dirty clothes basket.

Walking into the en-suite, Regina watched as Ruby got into the shower and turned the water on full blast.  Taking her time, she undressed, brushed her teeth, and joined her partner in the shower.

“Here I was thinking you wouldn’t be joining me,” Ruby smirked, pulling Regina close to her.

“I thought I’d let you enjoy the shower for a few minutes first,” Regina replied, standing on her tippy toes and pressing a soft kiss to Ruby’s lips.

“I missed you today,” Ruby said, running her hand over Regina’s back.

“I missed you too, I just wanted a quiet evening but work happened for the both of us.  How was Henry tonight?” Regina asked, grabbing the loofah and soaping it up.

“Henry is a good kid; he competed all but one math question on his homework handout.  I couldn’t even figure out the answer so I sent you a photo of it but I’m guessing you were asleep by then.  He did ask Granny why everyone in town seemed to hate you and Granny actually stood up for you,” Ruby said, watching the amused expression cross Regina’s face.

“What exactly did Granny say?”  Soaping herself up, she waited for the response, surprised that anything good was said about her.

“She said she thinks you’re a wonderful mayor who runs the town well and she said she’s happy that you make me so happy and she can see how much you love me,” Ruby responded, taking the loofah from Regina and washing the shorter woman’s back.

“Are we sure she hasn’t been possessed by something?” Regina asked, not knowing what to say to Granny being nice about her.

“Oh, I’m sure, she swatted me with a wet tea towel when I wasn’t moving fast enough for her liking,” Ruby replied, letting Regina run the soapy loofah over her body.

“Definitely still Granny then,” Regina agreed, spinning Ruby around to wash the taller woman’s back.

“You do know I can wash myself,” Ruby giggled as Regina ran the loofah down the side of her torso.

“I know you can, but I already had the loofah in my hands, and we have been together for sixteen months now, I’ve seen everything and you did wipe drool off my face less than an hour ago,” Regina reasoned, placing a kiss on Ruby’s shoulder blade.

“You do have a point,” Ruby had to agree, rinsing the soap off her body.

“I am good at making them,” Regina smirked, moving Ruby aside to rinse herself off.

“I’m going to brush my teeth and get dressed, enjoy the jets for a few minutes,” Ruby said, getting out of the shower and wrapping a towel around herself.

Heading over to the sink Ruby brushed her teeth and flossed.  Taking a mouthful of Listerine she gargled the solution around in her mouth for thirty seconds before spitting it out and rinsing out the sink.

Walking into the bedroom, Ruby got dressed into her favourite light pyjamas, which were plain black shorts and a short sleeved shirt with a crescent moon on the front.  Pulling out a pair of ankle socks from the top drawer she slid them over her feet.

“I think you look adorable in those,” Regina smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

“Why thank you my love, I think you’d be just as cute in those wolf pyjamas,” Ruby smiled in reply, getting them out for Regina.

Once they were both dressed, they headed out of the room and down the stairs and sat on the couch.  Picking up the remote Ruby turned the TV on and set it to the late night news to find out what had been happening in Maine while Regina turned the fan on to circulate the air in the room.

“I can’t believe how long boy’s take in the shower,” Regina commented, feeling Ruby cuddle into her side.

“He’s probably sitting on the shower floor playing with his little toy soldiers pretending that a flood is going to wipe them all out.  I picked up at least twelve of them this morning when I went in there to empty the dirty clothes basket into the laundry,” Ruby responded, resting her head on Regina’s shoulder.

“The day he learns to clean up his toys a miracle would need to happen.  I’ve never had to pick up so much dirty clothing before either.  At least you know where the laundry basket is located,” Regina replied, placing a soft kiss on Ruby’s head.

“The shower was just turned off, and I’m very much so house trained, you’ll have to thank Granny,” Ruby joked, picking up the remote and changing the channel to a documentary on Egyptian Pharaoh’s.

“I will.”  Resting her cheek on Ruby’s head, Regina watched the program on the TV.  She had been very interested in Egypt since finding out its ancient past and had dedicated an entire bookshelf in the study to ancient civilisations. 

“I’m ready for bed,” Henry said, walking into the living room.

“Good, you need the sleep, it’s almost midnight,” Regina said, looking at the time on Ruby’s phone as the woman next to her sat up.

“I know, goodnight Mum, goodnight Ruby,” Henry replied, walking over to his mother and Ruby, giving them both a hug before he headed back to his room.

“Goodnight Henry, we love you,” Regina called out, hearing something similar in return.

“I think we should set a good example and go to bed too, I know you’re tired Regina ‘I fell asleep at my desk’ Mills,” Ruby said, standing up and pulling Regina up with her.

“It was a once off,” Regina grumped in reply, turning the TV and fan off.

Heading up the stairs, Ruby opened the door to their bedroom and pulled down the quilt and sheet, turning the bedroom fan on.  Sliding into bed, she lay on her side and waited for Regina to turn the light off and join her.  Feeling the shorter woman next to her, Ruby wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Goodnight Regina, I love you,” Ruby softly spoke closing her eyes.

“Goodnight Ruby, I love you too.”  Snuggling into Ruby’s warmth, Regina evened out her breathing and let a small smile cross her face, giving into her tiredness as she drifted off to sleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

August 2010

Walking angrily down Main Street, Regina pushed people out of her way and death glared those who dared to walk in front of her, she was hot and she was in no mood to deal with anyone.  Pushing the door open to Granny’s and storming in, the customers already inside placed money down on the tables and left as quickly as they could, some leaving their meals half finished.

Plopping down at her normal booth, Regina crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them, thankful that Granny’s had air conditioning and that it was on.  Letting out a loud sigh, she hoped that no one else would enter the diner and that she would be left alone.

Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Ruby walked to the coffee machine and made Regina her favourite coffee and placed it inside of a takeaway cup.  Picking it up, Ruby walked over to the booth and placed the coffee down in front of Regina and sat across from her.

“What’s wrong baby?” Ruby asked, reaching out across the table, placing a hand on Regina’s arm.

“I went to every store in town and could find absolutely nothing for Henry’s birthday.  I’m hot and sweaty and have nothing to show for it.  He’s nine tomorrow and I’ve gotten him nothing.  I’m such a terrible mother,” Regina said, looking up at Ruby with tears welling in her eyes.

“Regina, you’re in no way a bad mother, its only 9:30 a.m.  I’m sure you’ll find something for him.  I’m getting him his presents after work today,” Ruby replied, trying to comfort Regina.

“This town has absolutely nothing new in it toy wise, he literally has everything that’s in the stores here, I should have thought about this earlier.  I feel like such a horrible mother.”  Feeling a tear slip down her cheek she brushed it away quickly but more fell in its place.

Standing up quickly, Ruby pulled Regina up and onto her feet and led her through the kitchen and out the back door to the secluded area behind the diner.  Ruby wrapped Regina up in her arms and held the woman closely.  “It’s okay baby, deep breaths, we’ll find something,” Ruby cooed, placing a kiss on top of Regina’s head.

“I just feel like I’m failing Henry as his mother.  I’ve gotten nothing and I may have to go out of town to find something but every time I leave Storybrooke I get really bad anxiety and feel panicky.”  Sniffing, Regina tried to compose herself.

“I’ll go with you once I get off work if you’d like, I’ll be there to protect you and keep the people away, and do the heavy carrying of the bags,” Ruby offered, wiping the tears away from the smaller woman’s cheeks.

“Just go now, I’ll cover you for today,” Granny called out from the window above them, having heard the conversation.

“Thank you Granny, I’ll get you something nice,” Ruby smiled, letting Regina go from their hug.

“I’d like to go past my house first before we leave,” Regina softly said, being led back inside.

“Of course we can,” Ruby replied, grabbing her handbag from behind the counter.

Picking her coffee up off the table Regina took a sip of the hot liquid and followed Ruby outside to her car.  Getting in they drove to Mifflin and parked in the driveway.

Entering the house, Regina walked up the main stairs and headed to her bedroom, Ruby following close behind.  Opening up her jewellery box Regina took out a small black box and touched the top of it, the lip opening to reveal what was inside. Gently removing the necklace Regina unclasped it and motioned for Ruby to sit on the bed.  It was a thin, white gold chain with a small glass pendant filled with something which shimmered an aqua blue colour.  Placing the piece of jewellery around Ruby’s neck, Regina clasped it together and smiled at her partner.

“What’s this for?” Ruby asked, amazing at how beautiful it was.

“It’s for crossing the town line, it protects your memories and allows you to come and go as you please.  I know you’re not cursed anymore but I want to be safe.  Before I cursed everyone I had this made under my supervision just in case I’d ever need it.  The pendant is a spell swirling in a potion with a drop of my blood, and today is the day I feel like it’ll be put to good use,” Regina explained, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of Ruby’s neck.

“It’s beautiful,” Ruby replied, leaning back into Regina.

“I’m going to slip into something comfortable, then we can head off,” Regina said, unbuttoning her white blouse and taking off her black slacks.

Slipping into a pair of skinny jeans that matched Ruby’s, Regina pulled out a loose grey shirt and put it on.  Swapping her heels for a pair of socks and rabens she was ready to go.

“You need to dress like that more often, it’s really hot,” Ruby said, biting her lip.

“Lucky for you then only you and Henry get to see me like this,” Regina smirked, holding out her hand for Ruby.  “Let’s go.”

Heading out of the house and locking up, Regina pulled out her car keys and smiled at Ruby.  “My car has air conditioning and I know my way around outside of here.”

“I can enjoy the view then, I don’t mind,” Ruby replied, getting into the passenger seat.

Pulling out of the driveway, Regina drove down the street and steered the car toward the town line.  The heat coming from outside made inside of the car feel hotter, the air conditioning not having yet fully kicked in.

“It’s so hot.”  Winding the window down slightly, Ruby let the air hit her face until the car was cool enough to wind it up again. 

“There’s the town line, are you ready?”  Regina asked, reaching over and holding Ruby’s hand in hers.

“I am,” Ruby nodded, squeezing Regina’s hand as they crossed the town line in the car.

“How do you feel?”  Slowing down Regina turned to face Ruby.

“I feel normal yet kind of free, where are we going?”  Ruby responded, turning the car radio on and flicking through the new radio stations that were available.

“We’re going to Augusta, I read online that they have a really good shopping centre with an amazing toy store.  Hopefully we can find something Henry will love,” Regina replied, accelerating down the road.

Noticing her favourite song come onto the radio, Ruby squealed and turned the volume up so it was loud.  She smiled at Regina and listened for the beginning of the song to play through before beginning to sing.  _“Something has changed within me, something is not the same, I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game, too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep..._ Come on Regina, sing with me!”

Taking a deep breath in, Regina knew she wasn’t going to get out of it, she’d heard the song enough times to know every word to Defying Gravity.

_“It’s time to try defying gravity, I think I’ll try defying gravity, and you can’t pull me down.”_   Singing together they got into the song and belted out the rest of it, Regina not being able to hit half the notes that Ruby could as she was an alto and she was sure that Ruby was a soprano.

Laughing, singing, and talking, they enjoyed their drive together, seeing the sign welcoming them to Augusta, Ruby squealed loudly in delight.

“Excited are we?” Regina asked, smiling at how happy her partner was.

“Very, I can’t wait to see what we can get for Henry, we can get him the latest gadgets, awesome cards and wrapping paper, maybe a themed cake, we could take him out of town and go bungy jumping or sky diving...”

“... there’s no way in hell any of us are going near those death contraptions,” Regina said, cutting Ruby off.

“I’ll try again next year, you can’t say no to me forever,” Ruby replied, knowing she had the shorter woman wrapped around her little finger.

“We’re now officially in Augusta, the shopping centre is ten minutes away, we’re only going to get Henry a couple of things and not buy him everything we see.  Three things each,” Regina said, not wanting Ruby to go on a shopping spree.

“Three things each and one joint present,” Ruby argued, wanting to spoil the young boy she had come to love and care for.

“Fine, that’s agreeable.”  Driving through the streets she hadn’t been on in over five years, Regina saw the signs pointing to the shopping centre and followed them.  Pulling into the car park, she parked the car.

Entering the shopping centre, Regina reached for Ruby’s hand and held it tightly as the cool air greeted them.  “Are you okay with this?” she asked, not afraid to hide her relationship in a town she didn’t see herself visiting again anytime soon.

“I’m more than okay with it, I like being able to hold your hand whenever I want,” Ruby replied, smiling at Regina as they walked down of the rows of shops.

“The toy shop should be just up here and to the left,” Regina said, leading the way.

Getting to the toy shop Ruby looked at it in awe, it was massive and had everything a kid could want inside of it.  Feeling a tug on her hand she followed Regina inside, grabbing a basket as they went to the first isle.

“Are those action figures that actually shoot stuff out?” Ruby asked, pulling Regina to the large toys of Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, and Iron Man.

“Yes they are, and they have matching comics on the shelf below.  Henry would love them,” Regina gushed, putting one of each figurine in the basket and two matching comic books for each hero.

“Yes, good, let’s spoil Henry,” Ruby beamed, dragging Regina down another isle.  Stopping in front of the books Ruby picked up a boxset of Goosebumps books and added it to the basket, knowing she had wanted to get Henry to read them for a while now.

“They have awesome lego sets in the next isle, which one should we get Henry?”  Regina asked, dragging Ruby behind her.

“There’s so many!” Ruby gasped, looking at the large selection in front of them.  “Which one do you think he’d love most?”

“I’m leaning towards the Star Wars ones but I know that’s because I love Star Wars.  I think Henry would really enjoy the Space Police Collection but it contains five individual lego sets within it,” Regina said, wanting to find the perfect balance between spoiling and not spoiling her son.

“Regina, he’s only going to turn nine once, get it for him,” Ruby encouraged, a set of lego catching her eye.  “I’m going to get him this, it’s kind of like the Enchanted Forest villages,” Ruby added, holding up a set for Regina to look at.

“A Medieval Market set, that does remind me of the villages,” Regina replied, smiling as Ruby put it in the basket which was getting very full.

“I know it’s for twelve years and older but Henry is a very bright boy and I know he’d love it.”  Smiling at Regina, Ruby couldn’t help but walk over to her and wrap an arm around her waist, kissing her cheek quickly.

“Ruby, look at those cute character shirts and pyjama’s,” Regina said, pointing to a wall of clothing just for boys.

“They’re so cute, they have comic inspired shirts, I bet Henry will love them,” Ruby replied, watching Regina pull three shirts off the wall and holding them up.  “I like them all, put them in.”

“Okay,” Regina agreed, making sure they were all the correct sizes.  “I think Henry has more than enough stuff here,” she added, wondering how Ruby managed to fit everything into the basket, even if it was twice the size of a standard one.

“Can we just look down the electronics isle quickly before we leave?”  Pulling her best pouty face, Ruby looked at Regina.

“Fine, just stop being so cute,” Regina laughed, taking hold of Ruby’s spare hand.

“How about an xbox 360?  It would keep him entertained for hours on end; it can be like a gift from the both of us.  And he has been such a good boy lately,” Ruby said, trying to convince Regina to go all out.

“You can pick out four games to go with it but after that we’re done,” Regina said, not knowing how they were going to hide all of the presents from Henry.

“Yay,” Ruby said, handing the xbox to Regina to hold.  Going through all of the games on the shelf, she picked out Kung Fu Panda, Age of Booty, Dragon Ball Z, and Burnout Paradise, knowing to stay within the age limit for the games.

Going up to the counter, they unpacked the basket and added four rolls of wrapping paper and a birthday card to their load.  Letting the cashier scan all the items through, Ruby wincing at the total price, and Regina thought nothing of it.

“You two seem like great parents, I bet your little boy is going to love all of this,” the cashier said, smiling at Ruby and Regina.

“I hope he does,” Regina responded, taking the receipt along with a few bags.

“Thank you,” Ruby said to the cashier, grabbing the heavier bags that Regina couldn’t carry.

“Let’s go back to the car and unload all of this,” Regina said, walking quicker than normal.

Picking up that something was wrong, Ruby matched Regina’s pace and stayed close by her, they exited the centre and entered the car park, heading over to where they parked, the sun shining brightly up in the blue sky.

Opening the boot, Regina placed the bags she was carrying inside the car and helped Ruby with the ones she had.  Closing the boot, Regina leant against the car and exhaled loudly.

“What’s wrong?” Ruby asked, noticing how quickly Regina’s chest was rising and falling.

“I don’t know, I was fine then all of a sudden my chest got tight and I couldn’t breathe and I just needed to get out of there,” Regina explained, pulling Ruby to her so she could hug the taller woman.

Rubbing Regina’s back, trying to calm her down, Ruby place a soft kiss on the smaller woman’s forehead.  “I think you had a small anxiety attack,” she said, moving Regina’s hair back to behind her ear.

“I’m a queen, I shouldn’t be having them,” Regina huffed out, resting her head against Ruby’s shoulder

“Anyone can be prone to them baby, you don’t know these people, they don’t know you, you have no idea what they’re capable of.  You’re not used to this many people in one spot either.  I think there are more people inside of that building then there are in the whole of Storybrooke,” Ruby said, soothing Regina as best she could.

“You’re not wrong,” Regina agreed, her stomach suddenly growling.

“I think lunch wouldn’t be too bad of an idea right now, do you?” Ruby asked, feeling hungry herself.

“Have you ever had McDonalds?” Regina asked, not wanting to go back inside the shopping centre.

“I’ve heard of it but I’ve never had it before,” Ruby replied, wondering what it tasted like.

“Let’s get you introduced to it shall we?”  Getting into the car, they wound down the windows and waited for the air conditioner to kick in before moving.

Pulling out of the parking lot Regina drove down a few streets, turned corners, and obeyed really weird road signs that weren’t in Storybrooke, before Ruby noticed a massive ‘M’ sign in yellow.

“McDonald’s has a drive thru so we won’t need to get out of the car,” Regina said, turning into the driveway of the building and joining the drive thru queue. 

Looking at the menu boards, Ruby tried to decide on what she wanted.  “What are you getting?” she asked, looking at Regina.

“I usually get the Quarter Pounder meal with no onion or pickle on the burger, and I treat myself to a coke,” Regina replied, wondering what Ruby would like. 

“I think I’ll get the same thing, I was tossing up between that and the McDouble but the Quarter Pounder has more cheese and I like cheese,” Ruby responded, excited to try the food.

Driving up to the speaker box Regina placed their order and drove to the second window and paid for their food.  Driving up to the first window, she was handed their food and drinks.  Passing it to Ruby to hold, Regina pulled out of the driveway and headed a few streets over and parked on the side of the road.

“Feeling anxious still?” Ruby asked, squeezing Regina’s arm.

“A little, I just want to eat and head home,” Regina replied, pushing in the old ash tray which she had converted into a cup holder when she adopted Henry.  Once it popped out she placed their drinks in it and sorted out the food.

“These fries are really good,” Ruby said through a mouthful of food. 

Laughing at Ruby’s remark, Regina began to eat her food quickly, not realising how hungry she really was.  Turning to face Ruby, she noticed that the taller woman was already half way through her burger and licking sauce off her fingers.  “Good burger my love?” Regina asked, smiling at the sight in front of her.

“Really good,” Ruby replied, shoving the last of her burger in her mouth. 

Finishing up with their food, Regina got them back on the road and headed toward Storybrooke.  They had spent a total of an hour and half in Augusta and she was exhausted.

“Did we forget to get a cake?” Ruby suddenly asked, sounding panicked.

“Crap!  There’s a little bakery about ten minutes out from Storybrooke, we can get one there, preferably chocolate,” Regina replied, not being able to believe she forgot a cake for her son.

“If we can’t find anything we can get one from Granny’s, there’s always at least five cakes in the cool room, made the day beforehand,” Ruby said, knowing that Granny wouldn’t say no to her.

“That’s good to know,” Regina responded, tapping down on the accelerator.  Driving down the highway Regina kept her eyes on the road wanting to get the cake as quickly as she could.  Going slightly faster she saw Ruby raise an eyebrow at her but she didn’t say anything.

Twenty minutes has passed before Regina pulled up in front of the small cake shop.  Getting out of the car the two women entered the small shop, hand in hand, with cakes surrounding them.  Taking a quick look at them all they both stopped in front of the same one.

“It has the Hulk on it, Henry will love it,” Ruby said, Regina nodding in agreement.

“Cashier, we’ll take this one now,” Regina called out to the woman behind the counter.

“Regina, that’s rude,” Ruby whispered, glaring at the shorter woman.

“I’m sorry, could we please get this cake Ma’am,” Ruby said, covering Regina and being polite.

“Of course love,” the cashier smiled, pulling the cake out and putting it in a box. 

Walking over to the cash register, Regina paid for the cake and turned to face the lady.  “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you,” she apologised, righting her wrong.

“Apology accepted love, you two seem to be wonderful mothers to your lucky little boy, hopefully he has a good birthday,” the older lady smiled, wishing them on their way. 

Getting back into the car, Ruby held the cake as Regina got them back on the road toward Storybrooke. 

“I’m proud of you for apologising to that nice old lady,” Ruby smiled, knowing Regina did it all by herself without any prompting from her.

“I’m trying my hardest to be a better person and it seemed like something you would have done.  You’re a really good role model for being nice to people,” Regina replied, quickly glancing at Ruby.

“It’s working then,” Ruby responded, giving Regina’s thigh a quick squeeze.

Continuing down the highway, it didn’t take long before Regina began to recognise the trees that were just outside of the town line.  Crossing back into Storybrooke, Regina exhaled loudly and drove back to her house.

Pulling into the driveway, Regina parked the car and got out, unlocking the house.  Popping the boot, she began to gather the bags of presents as Ruby took the cake inside and placed it in the fridge.

Once all of the presents were upstairs spread across their bed, the stood there and looked at everything they purchased.  “How do you want to go about wrapping all of these?” Regina asked, unable to believe they got Henry so much for his birthday.

“My thoughts are to wrap the action figures individually, wrap the comics up in one, same with the shirts, we can wrap the games up in two, and the Lego, books, and Xbox individually,” Ruby responded, Regina nodding in agreement.

“We have one hour before the school bus drops Henry off, let’s do this.”  Getting to work, they each began to wrap the bigger presents first.  Wrapping paper flew in all directions being cut down to the perfect size; the scissors making that pleasing sound as they cut through the paper in one swift motion.  Sticky tape was slapped on all over the joints holding the paper wrap together.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Regina stood up and looked at their accomplishment.  Thirteen presents sat in front of them perfectly wrapped up.  “We need to hide these until Henry goes to bed.”

“Can we put them in here somewhere out of sight and lock the door?”  Ruby asked, looking around trying to find a hiding spot.

“We could but Henry will know and he’ll try to stay up all night,” Regina replied, knowing how stubborn Henry could be.

“We could put them along the side of the bed and throw a blanket half hanging over the bed, covering them up, otherwise I’m out of ideas,” Ruby responded, rubbing her forehead.

Turning quickly toward the window, Regina went wide eyed.  “The school bus will be here in like a minute.”

“Grab a blanket and I’ll put the presents down on the floor.”  Having the presents safely on the floor within a few seconds thanks to her increased speed Ruby stepped back as Regina threw the blanket half on and half off the bed.

Exiting the bedroom, they quickly made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch.  They both picked up the novels they were reading and opened them, just as Henry walked into the house.

“Hi Mum, hi Ruby, please do not ask about school, I’m going to go drown in my homework,” Henry said, kicking his shoes off next to the doorway and dumping his backpack on the floor.

“How much homework were you given?” Regina asked, putting down her book.

“In total I have nine pages, five of math, two of English, and two pages of questions based on the first four chapters of some boring book we got given,” Henry explained, sighing loudly.

“Start with the book and questions first, get it out of the way, we’ll have dinner once you’re done and then if you need help we’re both available,” Regina said, watching Henry take his homework out of his bag before turning to walk up the stairs.

“I think I feel anxious again?” Regina questioned, not knowing why.

“Take a couple of deep breaths.”  Placing a pillow against the armrest of the couch, Ruby leaned against it and pulled Regina close to her so the smaller woman’s back was against her front.

Leaning into Ruby, Regina took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes.  Ruby’s arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe.  “I love you,” Regina softly whispered, fully relaxing into her partner‘s arms.

“I love you too,” Ruby responded, placing a tender kiss on Regina’s temple.  Closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.

\---

 “Mum!  Ruby!  Wake up!” Henry loudly said, clapping his hands in front of them.

“Hey little dude,” Ruby said, opening her eyes.

“It’s 7:00 p.m. it’s dinner time, Mum’s still asleep,” Henry replied, standing next to the couch.

“Go have a shower and I’ll order us something from Granny’s, what do you want?” Ruby asked, noticing that Regina had a tight hold on her forearms.

“I would love some fettuccine carbonara with extra bacon,” Henry smiled, running up the stairs to shower.

“Regina wake up sweetie,” Ruby gently said, shaking Regina awake.

“No, nap,” Regina mumbled, turning onto her side and snuggling into Ruby.

“Regina baby sweetie pie honey bun, wakey, wakey,” Ruby replied, laughing when Regina smacked her arm.

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Regina grumped, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

“I’m about to order us something from Granny’s, what do you want?” Ruby asked, watching the horror that crossed Regina’s face when she noticed the time.

“I’ll have some pasta, my usual,” Regina said, standing up and stretching out.

“Henry is showering; I’m going to go order.”  Getting up, Ruby quickly kissed Regina before picking up her phone and ordering them all pasta dishes for delivery.

Twenty five minutes passed before there was a knock at the front door signalling that their food had arrived.  Having a lazy dinner, they all sat in the living room eating out of the plastic containers, watching Ben 10 and enjoying each other’s company.

Once they had finished eating Henry brought his homework downstairs and laid on the floor, completing it while a documentary on animals in the wild played in the background. 

“It’s 10:00 p.m. time for bed,” Regina said, already having let Henry stay up an extra hour.

 “I’m not tired though, thirty more minutes?” Henry tried, looking between Regina and Ruby.

“Bed kiddo,” Ruby responded, watching as Henry stood up and put on his best puppy dog eyes.

“Bed Henry, that cuteness isn’t going to work,” Regina replied, not giving into her almost nine year old.

“Fine,” Henry huffed, walking over to his mother and Ruby, giving them both hugs goodnight.

Waiting until Henry had closed his bedroom door; Regina shifted her position on the couch, turned to Ruby and raised an eyebrow.  “He went to bed way too easily, what do you think he’s up to?”

“He hasn’t gone into our room yet, I checked when he was in the shower and I haven’t heard the door open or close either.  He might be waiting until we go to bed to sneak in and find them,” Ruby guessed, wondering what Regina was thinking.

“It’s possible and he did try that last year.  If we set them up in here before we go to bed he won’t come downstairs as I always keep them upstairs until the actual day,” Regina said, a smile crossing her face.

“I like that idea and it’s unexpected and not something you would do, ever,” Ruby replied, leaning in and pressing a warm kiss to Regina’s lips.

Pulling back slightly from the kiss, Regina smirked and pushed Ruby onto her back and straddled the taller woman.  Bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss Regina ran her tongue along Ruby’s bottom lip, feeling the green eyed woman’s lip part for her.  Deepening their kiss, Regina pressed her knee against Ruby’s centre smiling when she heard the younger woman moan.

Turning her head quickly toward the door, Ruby felt a kiss on her check before bring her finger up to press against Regina’s lips.  “Henry’s door opened,” she whispered.

Quickly separating, Regina stood up and went to check on Henry.  Ascending the stairs she noticed light coming from under the bathroom door.  Going into her bedroom she stood in the open doorway and waited until Henry went back into his room.  Checking to make sure that the presents were undisturbed, she picked up the few remaining pieces of paper they missed earlier.

Joining Regina in the bedroom, Ruby got them both out a pair of summer pyjamas and told Regina to go shower.  Hearing the water running, she lounged on their bed, doing the book of crossword puzzles that sat on the bedside table.  Ruby didn’t know how long she had been doing the crossword for before Regina came out of their en-suite and sent her in to get clean.

Getting dressed, Regina brushed her hair and wrote in Henry’s birthday card, signing it from the both of them.  Hearing the shower turn off, she turned toward the en-suite and smiled at Ruby.

“Has Henry emerged yet?”  Ruby asked, sliding on her underwear and shorts.

“Not yet, he’s been very quiet, I think he might be asleep,” Regina answered, taking both her towel and Ruby’s and putting them back in the bathroom.

“I’ll go check if he’s asleep, I’ll be able to hear through the door,” Ruby said, exiting the bedroom silently and going to check.

Removing the blanket that was covering the presents Regina folded it up and placed it at the end of the bed.  Seeing Ruby enter the room again she looked up.

“He’s asleep,” Ruby said, joining Regina by the bed.  “Shall we get started?”  Smiling brightly she picked up two of the bigger presents and took them downstairs.

Moving all of the presents into the living room, they set them up, placed the card on top and smiled at their work.  Heading to bed, they both set their phone alarms for 6:30 a.m. giving them time to do a once over before the birthday boy woke up.

\---

Waking up to their alarms going off, Ruby groaned and covered her face with the pillow, not wanting to move.

“Come on Ruby, we need to get up my love,” Regina softly said, pulling the blankets off them and removing the pillow from Ruby’s grasp.

Getting up and heading to the kitchen Regina made them both a cup of hot coffee which they sipped at the dining room table over a bowl of cereal each.  Regina watched as Ruby rested her chin on her hand, trying to stay awake.  She smiled at how lucky she was to have the green eyed beauty by her side.

“IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” Henry called out running down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Happy birthday Henry,” Regina smiled, getting up and hugging her son tightly, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Happy birthday kiddo, you’re nine now,” Ruby added, giving him a hug, his feet leaving the ground for a few seconds.

“Henry, go look in the living room,” Regina said, reaching out and holding Ruby’s hand before they followed the young boy into the room.

Watching as Henry squealed in delight, Ruby wrapped Regina up in her arms as they watched him unwrap his presents, the delight on his face made both of their hearts swell, and the trip out of town well worth it.


	11. Chapter 11

December 2010

The streets were thick with snow, the sky dark grey, clouds rumbling above filled with lightning and thunder.  The sidewalks were slippery, the grass was frozen, and the town was almost deserted.  Two school buses were parked outside of the school and the teacher’s car park had a few randomly placed cars parked on the ground.

Ruby slowly walked from the diner over to Town Hall, her shift today was so bad she thought it deserved a spot in her top five horrible shifts of all time.  Worst of all she had only been there for three hours before Granny had sent her home due to what had happened.  Ruby wanted nothing more than to talk to Regina and to clear her head.  Feeling the beginnings of rain against her, Ruby pulled her jacket hood up and tried to walk a little faster.

Turning the corner Ruby could see Town Hall in front of her, crossing the road she stepped up onto the footpath and her right ankle twisted, the heel on her favourite pair of purple high heels, getting caught in the frozen ground.  “Owe, shit,” Ruby said aloud, losing her balance and falling onto her arse.

Gingerly getting up, Ruby hissed when she tried to move her ankle.  Limping up the path to the building Ruby entered it and headed straight for Regina’s office, not caring about the looks she received.

Pushing the door open, Regina had her head buried in paperwork.

“I do not have time for interruptions whoever you are,” Regina said, not bothering to look up.

“I’ll just leave,” Ruby replied feeling dejected.

“Ruby, oh God, I’m so sorry dear,” Regina said getting up and walking over to Ruby and pulling her into the room, hearing her hiss in pain.  Closing the door to her office, she helped the taller woman over to the couch.  “What happened to your shoe?”

“It’s more my ankle, my heel got stuck, my ankle twisted, I fell on my butt, and my heel broke, I think my other one is loose too.  I might as well take them off and walk home in my socks,” Ruby replied, grateful for the soft couch beneath her.

“You are not walking home, let me help you with the shoes, I want to check out your ankle.”  Sitting down on the floor of her office, Regina undid the small buckle on the heel on Ruby’s uninjured foot and took it off, throwing it aside.  Moving onto Ruby’s bad ankle, Regina gently lifted it to rest on top of her knee before slowly and carefully taking her footwear off.  Pulling down the sock Ruby whimpered in pain.  “I’m sorry baby, I need to see,” Regina explained, revealing the taller woman’s swollen ankle. 

“How does it look,” Ruby asked, feeling warm fingers poking and prodding her tender flesh.

“It looks swollen and bruised, I don’t want you walking on this,” Regina replied, feeling the along the Achilles tendon.

“Owe, Owe, Owe,” Ruby loudly said, squeezing her eyes shut.

“I’m sorry baby, is it okay if I bandage this up? Regina asked, gently placing Ruby’s foot on the floor.

“I guess,” Ruby replied, blinking back tears.

Getting up Regina walked out of her office and went to reception.  Pulling the first aid kit out Regina grabbed a bandage, bandage clip, and some painkillers.  Stopping in her tracks she looked out the window and saw that the snow had begun to fall again.  Looking to the mostly empty chairs behind reception Regina noticed that half of her staff were not at their desks.  Shrugging it off she headed back to her office, she closed the door behind her and handed Ruby the painkillers.  Grabbing the water bottle off her desk she opened it and handed it to her partner.

“Thank you,” Ruby said, swallowing the pills down with a mouthful of water.

“I’m going to strap that ankle now, this may hurt a little baby,” Regina spoke, sitting back down on the floor.  Methodically wrapping the bandage around the tender and swollen joint, Regina felt her heart hurt every time Ruby whimpered.  Putting the clip on to hold the bandage in place, Regina slid Ruby’s sock over the top it and realised that the taller woman only had shorts on and not pants during a snow day.

Sitting next to Ruby on the couch Regina noticed the few stray tears that had fallen down Ruby’s porcelain cheeks.  Wiping them away with her thumb, she pulled the green eyed beauty into a hug and rubbed her back, attempting to sooth her partner. 

Feeling the warmth of Regina encompassing her, Ruby buried her head into the brown eyed woman’s shoulder and couldn’t hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall since she left the diner.

“Ruby, what’s wrong my love?” Regina asked, pulling the younger woman closer to her.  Rubbing Ruby’s back, she placed a soft kiss onto Ruby’s head and held her closely, letting the tears soak into her jacket.

Not knowing how long she had spent in Regina’s arms, crying, she lifted her head up and took a few deep breaths, her throat feeling as if it was on fire.  Her nose was blocked and she felt like crap.

“Here baby, blow your nose,” Regina gently said, placing two tissues into the taller woman’s hand.

Blowing her nose rather loudly, Ruby threw the tissues in the direction of the bin and wiped her eyes with the arm of her thin jacket.

“Come here, let me help.”  Grabbing another tissue Regina patted it around Ruby’s eyes, wiping away the remaining tears.  Running her thumb over the green eyed woman’s cheek, she gently smiled as she caught a runaway tear.  “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

Taking a deep breath in and letting it out, Ruby tried to slightly compose herself.  “I had a really horrible shift at the diner, top five worst experiences,” she replied, feeling another tear escape.

Wiping the tear away, Regina held Ruby’s hands in hers, caressing the back of Ruby’s left hand with her thumb.  “What happened at the diner, take your time, dear.”

Closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing for a few minutes she tried to calm herself down.  “The breakfast rush was fine it was what happened in the half hour after it.  Leroy came in already drunk and he called me the town whore and said I should be his personal topless waiter.  Then Whale came in and agreed with Leroy and said... he said...”

“... Deep breaths baby, take your time,” Regina cut in, seeing the tears welling in her partner’s eyes.

“Whale said I should be a good little girl and bend over a table for him so he can have some fun,” Ruby said in one breath, the tears running down her cheeks again.

“I’m going to kill him,” Regina replied, feeling the Evil Queen within her coming up with at least ten different ways to make him suffer.

“I tried to ignore him and when I walked past him he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me onto his lap.  Granny saw and came out and smacked him across the head with a newspaper and yelled at him before throwing him out the front door by his ear.  She gave me the rest of the day off and all I wanted was to come here and be with you,” Ruby finished, leaning forward and cuddling into Regina.

Wrapping Ruby up in her arms, Regina took a few deep breaths in.  “How are you currently feeling about it all my love?”

“I feel disgusted, hurt, and like I want to scream.  I also kind of want to run Whale and Leroy over with my car but my car is too pretty to damage on those scumbags,” Ruby replied, feeling safe in Regina’s arms.

“We can get revenge on them, as your partner and as mayor of this town I can easily bring them both down and I have reason to.  They hurt my true love and will pay,” Regina responded, releasing Ruby as she felt the younger woman shift in her arms.

Leaning forward Ruby grabbed the water bottle off the floor and downed half of it one go.  She didn’t realise how thirsty she was and how good the cold felt against her dry and sore throat.

Watching Ruby, Regina felt a swirl of emotions running through her, she wanted nothing more than to protect the woman in front of her, but she also felt something else she couldn’t place.  It was kind of like a strong feeling, binding her to Ruby full of love with a side of emotions that made her feel sad and hurt that Ruby was treated badly.

Snapped out of thoughts by the lights flickering and a loud clang of thunder, Regina reached out and held Ruby’s hand, noticing that it had made her partner jump in her seat.  The lights flickered again before plunging the room into darkness. 

“Blackout,” Ruby said, stating the obvious, thankful for Regina’s hand on hers.

“I have some candles in my bottom drawer just in case something like this happened, do you have your phone so I can use the screen light to find them?” Regina asked, holding her hand out as Ruby put the device in it.

“If you need help let me know, I don’t want to just sit here,” Ruby offered, watching the dull light of the screen go across the room.

“Ruby, you have a sprained, maybe broken ankle, you’re not getting up and do anything unless it’s with me helping you out of here so we can go to the doctors or home,” Regina replied, opening the drawer in her desk and pulling out four large candles and a packet of long stick matches.

Setting two candles down on the table in front of Ruby, Regina lit them and placed the other two across the room, candle light filling the office.  “I’m going to go check on reception, I’ll be back in a minute or two,” Regina said, putting the phone down and taking a candle out with her.

The corridors were dark, Regina could hear nothing and it was too silent for her liking.  Heading into reception she noticed that only one person from administration was there and it was the one person she despised.  “Where is everyone?” Regina asked, annoyed by the lack of staff.

“They all left when the snow started, I drew the short straw so I got stuck here.  No one wanted to disturb you after this morning and with the waitress in there we didn’t want to risk it,” the receptionist replied, chewing on the end of a pencil.

“Her name is Ruby, or Miss. Lucas to you all.  Just go home, you’re not needed here without electricity.”  Turning on her heel, she left the room without another word, only stopping long enough to see that heavy snow was still falling down outside.

Closing the door behind her after she entered her office, Regina smiled at Ruby.  “All of my staff bar the annoying git decided to leave without asking me because it’s snowing heavily.”

“If I tried that with Granny I’d get my arse whooped,” Ruby said, patting the empty spot next to her.

Sitting down, Regina exhaled and stared at the candle flame.

“What’s on your mind?” Ruby asked, wondering why Regina’s mood shifted.

“Nothing is wrong, I’m just unhappy about how you were treated, I can feel the Evil Queen simmering just below the surface wanting to make an appearance and snap a neck or two,” Regina replied, being honest.

“We won’t be snapping any necks.  I want karma to bite Whale in the arse.  What he did was wrong and it’s like he doesn’t even care.  He hurt me and he thinks it’s just a game,” Ruby sad, a frown appearing on her face.

“Can karma come in the form of Mayor Mills?  Leroy is already a hospital janitor so it can’t get worse than that but we can make Whale suffer.  I think we should replace his position in the hospital with Doctor M. P....”

“... She is a better doctor in my opinion, she treated Henry’s broken arm really well, and she doesn’t drink and show up hung over or drunk to work,” Ruby added, cutting Regina off mid sentence.

“Exactly, I think a demotion will put him in his place.  Geriatrics seems like a good place for him, don’t you?”  Regina said, smiling evilly.

“That’s perfect, and I think they both need to be placed in a program to stop their drinking, it might teach them something,” Ruby replied, sick of having to deal with both men.

“That can be arranged,” Regina responded, already planning out how she’s going to very much enjoy putting Whale in his place.

“Promise you won’t do anything else?” Ruby said, noticing the gleam in Regina’s eye.

“I promise I won’t do anything to physically harm them.  I may just yell at them a lot and scare the living daylights out of them,” Regina replied, knowing she’d keep true to her word.

“It’s getting cold in here,” Ruby said, feeling chilly.

“We have no heater since the power cut and it gets really cold in here.  We can try to head home if you want but I’m worried about your ankle.  You can’t put those heels on again.”  Doing a quick examination of Ruby’s ankle, it looked as if it had swollen a little more as the bandage seemed slightly tighter.

“I’d like to try to head home,” Ruby nodded, taking a deep breath in.

“Okay, I’m going to help you and I want you to use me like a crutch and try not to put any weight on that ankle,” Regina said, not going to take no for an answer.

Moving to Ruby’s right hand side, Regina helped the taller woman up and wrapped an arm around Ruby’s waist.  Taking a step forward she heard Ruby hiss in pain but take another step.  Knowing that Ruby was determined, Regina guided them out of the room and let Ruby lean against the doorframe while she blew out the candles and checked which way they’d be able to leave the building.

“The front doors are snowed in but the back fire escape is clear and opens into the car park.  We just have three steps to make it down,” Regina said, thankful that the car park sat on top of a small hill.

Making it to the back door of the building Regina pushed it open and helped Ruby down the stairs, thankful for the rails on both sides.  “Wait here and I’ll bring the car round,” she said, quickly walking to the car, starting it and driving it down to where Ruby was waiting.  Putting the brakes on, Regina got out of the car and helped Ruby in.  Getting back in, she cranked the heater to full and slowly drove out of the car park, thankful she had yelled at people to plough the roads just before Ruby entered her office.

 Arriving in her driveway, Regina parked the car and helped Ruby out and to inside of the house, placing her on the couch with her ankle elevated, her socks thrown onto the floor.  “How’s it feeling now?”

“It’s killing me, I think the walking didn’t help,” Ruby admitted, frowning while looking at her appendage.  “Tell me a story to distract me from the pain?”

“I’ll tell you a story once I call the home doctor and get them to come here and check out that ankle, don’t bother arguing either.”  Walking out of the room, Regina called the doctor and arranged for them to visit at some point today.

Seeing Regina enter the room, Ruby turned slightly to face her.  “So, no doctor today?”

“You’re out of luck dear, they’re coming at some point before 9:00 p.m.” Regina informed the green eyed woman, laughing slightly when Ruby pouted.

“Now, about my story,” Ruby said, reminding Regina.

“What would you like to hear about?” Regina asked, willing to do almost anything to distract her partner.

“What was Snow like a child?  How did you become her step mother?  I’ve heard what Snow had to say but I want to know it from your point of view,” Ruby replied, hoping she didn’t cross a line asking about the past.

Sitting down in the armchair, Regina took a deep breath in and exhaled.  “Snow as a child was tolerable but she didn’t know when to keep quiet.  She was spoilt by her father and was allowed to run amok.  I tried to implement some discipline but when I said something Snow didn’t like she went straight to Leopold and behind closed doors he would berate me like a child,” Regina retold, trying to distance herself from her feelings.

Nodding her head, Ruby didn’t want to interrupt to ask questions, she would wait until later.

“I became her step mother thanks to my mother using magic to scare the horse that Snow was riding.  What I didn’t know beforehand was that my mother killed Snow’s mother and planned us meeting by me saving Snow from the horse.  When Leopold found out, he asked me to marry him.  I didn’t want to but Mother made me.  She killed Daniel in front of me because Snow told her about him, and once she did that I had nothing left.  I married Leopold and every day I just prayed that I could find a way to be free again,” Regina said, offering Ruby a soft smile.

“What was it like to be married to the king?” Ruby asked, curious about her partner’s first marriage after listening to what she had just said about the man.

“Married to Leopold?  To everyone it looked like the perfect marriage and as if he was an amazing husband but behind closed doors when no one was around it was hell.  He was controlling, I felt trapped constantly and the only time I ever got to breathe was when he was away on diplomatic travels.  Snow was easy to distract to get her to go do something else when he wasn’t there.  Every time Leopold walked into my chambers in the castle I felt dread wash over me, one time I didn’t pick the right coloured dress for his liking and after the event he would berate me, compare me to Queen Eva, and sometimes if he had a glass of two of wine he would strike me.  Looking at it over the last twenty seven years since being here in Storybrooke, he was emotionally and physically abusive, I guess I’m just glad I was never made to consummate that marriage.”  Take a sharp breath in Regina felt a sense of relief being able to talk about her past with someone she loved and someone she knew wouldn’t turn her back on her.

“I’m sorry that happened to you baby,” Ruby said, sitting up and patting the spot next to her.

Getting up, Regina moved to sit next to Ruby and felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her close.

“I love you, Regina, and if you ever want to talk about it more, or just rant, I’m always going to be here for you,” Ruby said, placing a kiss on Regina’s temple.

“Thank you, I may take you up on it one day,” Regina replied, relaxing against Ruby.  “How’s the ankle feeling now?”

“It’s still sore but the throbbing has stopped, I think the cold coming from outside is making it worse somehow,” Ruby responded, trying to move her ankle and immediately regretting it.

“Careful my love,” Regina said as she untangled herself from Ruby and elevated the taller woman’s foot onto the coffee table.

 “I already miss walking,” Ruby pouted, trying to get comfortable.

“Maybe this will teach you not to wear massive heels during the snow,” Regina replied, deciding that she would take Ruby shopping for appropriate foot ware.

“But I like my heels, they make me tall,” Ruby responded, trying her best to look sad.

“Ruby, dear, you’re tall enough without them, you tower over me flat foot and you’re still slightly taller than when I wear my work heels,” Regina said, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing her house phone ringing, Regina sighed and got up, “I’ll be back in a minute.” Answering the phone, Regina leant against the wall.

“Hello,” Regina said into the receiver.

_“Hello, Miss Mills, I’m the principal at Stor...”_

“... Did something happen to my son?”  Regina cut in, her heart racing in her chest.

_“No, Henry is fine Madam Mayor, I’m just calling to let you know that the sudden snow storm has snowed in part of the classrooms and our buses.  We have a team removing the snow now and it will take a few hours, Henry is in one of the classrooms and may not make it home until after 6:00pm, we we’re calling to let you know,”_ the principal explained, informing Regina of the situation.

“Thank you for letting me know Ms. Ryan, please keep me updated,” Regina replied, hanging up the phone.

“Who was that?” Ruby asked as Regina walked back into the living room.

“The school, because of the snow Henry won’t be home until after 6:00 p.m.  It’s pretty bad in the lower lying parts of Storybrooke,” Regina answered, sitting back down on the couch.

Exhaling loudly when a knock came from the front door, she stood up and straightened out her shirt.  “We’re just not getting a break at the moment,” she commented before leaving the room and heading to the front door.

Opening the front door Regina was grateful to see the home doctor standing there, smiling at her kindly.  “Hi Doctor Evans, Ruby is in the living room, we think she either broke or sprained her ankle.” 

“Hi, Madam Mayor, I’ll take a good look at that ankle and see its condition, hopefully it’s nothing too serious,” Doctor Evans replied, following Regina through the house and into the living room.

 “Ruby, it’s time,” Regina said smiling at the taller woman, receiving a glare in return. 

“Hi Ruby, I’m just got to have a quick look at your ankle if that’s okay,” Doctor Evans cheerfully greeted, moving to kneel down next to Ruby’s sore ankle, throwing her long hair over her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said, feeling Regina’s hand on her shoulder.

Unwrapping the bandage carefully, Doctor Evans set it aside and examined Ruby’s ankle.  It had turned purple and black with bruising and was the size of a tennis ball.  “How did you do this?”

“I was crossing the road and when I stepped up onto path my heel got stuck, my ankle twisted, and my heel broke off.  I fell on my butt afterward and it twisted slightly again.  I managed to limp my way into Town Hall but after that I’ve barely been able to put weight on it, it just feel like sharp, shooting, stabbing pain that leaves me in tears,” Ruby explained, jumping slightly when cold hands touched her ankle.

“I’m going to need to poke around your ankle for a minute, if it hurts I want you to let me know,” Doctor Evans explained, starting to feel around Ruby’s ankle, putting pressure on different areas.

“Ow!  Ow!  Ow!  Oh my God, Ow!” Ruby said through gritted teeth.

“I now need to move your foot up and down to see the range of movement and feel the ankle bone in movement,” Doctor Evans said, not waiting for a reply.  Taking hold of Ruby’s foot, she moved it, up and down while holding onto the ankle joint, putting pressure on both sides.

Taking in a sharp breath Ruby couldn’t stop the tears that ran down her face.  The pain in her ankle intensified to a ten out of ten.  Feeling Regina’s arm around her shoulder, she leant against the shorter woman, wanting the pain to stop.

Wrapping Ruby’s ankle back up, Doctor Evans looked up at them and slightly shook her head.  “It’s broken I don’t even need an x-ray to determine it.  It’s currently too swollen to do anything about, it’s going to need to be put in a cast for six to eight weeks in about three days.  For now just rest it and try not to put any weight on it at all.  I’m going to give you a shot of morphine to get you through the next couple of hours since we just had to move it.”

Feeling the syringe tip enter the vein in the back of her hand, a burning sensation stung her before it went away.  She sat there feeling defeated and wanted to wallow in her feelings for a while.

“Thank you Doctor Evans,” Regina said, handing Ruby a tissue and giving her back a quick rub before showing the doctor out.

Waiting until she heard the door close, Ruby cried harder, her everything was sore and she didn’t care about the river of tears that ran down her cheeks.  With the wolf still being dormant inside her she couldn’t access its healing ability, the wolf provided her with a lot and she was lucky that she partially had her speed and strength.

“Ruby, baby, deep breaths,” Regina said softly, sitting next to the green eyed beauty and pulling her in for a hug.  Gently covering her partner’s face in kisses, Regina tried her best to comfort the woman she loved.

“Everything just hurts and I have had such a shit day it’s not funny,” Ruby cried into Regina’s shoulder, pulling the brown eyed woman closer to her.

“The pain will stop soon baby, give the morphine a few more minutes to kick in,” Regina said, continuing to rub Ruby’s back.  After a few minutes she could feel the taller woman begin to relax, the crying almost stopped.

“I’m starting to feel a little light headed,” Ruby sniffed, rubbing her nose with her hand.

“Here baby,” Regina said, handing Ruby a handful of tissues so she could blow her nose.

“Thank you,” Ruby replied, using the tissues.

“Now that we know your ankle is broken I do have some bone healing potions here, I brought over a stash of them just in case the curse prevented natural healing.  I also have one which will put you to sleep for a few hours in case you don’t want to be awake when your ankle is healing if you choose to take it,” Regina explained, wanting to help her partner.

“How long does the healing potion take to work?” Ruby asked, thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“It should heal you completely in roughly ten minutes but it will be painful,” Regina answered, not wanting to see her partner hurting or in pain but knew it was inevitable for the moment.

“I’ll have the potion please your majesty I’ll be high on morphine so I might as well,” Ruby giggled, staring off into space.

Laying Ruby down on the couch, Regina went down to the basement and looked through the rows of vials she had until she found the correct one, noting she only had three adult healing potions left.  Exhaling, she walked back into the room and knelt on the ground in front of Ruby.

“It’s a dull yellow, why isn’t it a pretty vibrant purple like your magic, I saw you in the Enchanted Forest you know, using your magic, those corsets, damn, I would have done you behind a tree if I could have,” Ruby mumbled, spaced out.

“I’m going to bring this to your lips and I want you to swallow it in one mouthful, okay?  It may not taste very nice,” Regina told her, uncapping the vial.  Bringing it to Ruby’s lips the younger woman opened her mouth and Regina tipped it in, not giving Ruby the chance to close her mouth.

“Eww, yuck, that’s nasty,” Ruby said, pulling Regina close to her and using the older woman’s sleeve to wipe her tongue on.  “You taste good, like real good, especially when we have sex.”  Attempting to wink, Ruby cringed instead.

“The potion is starting to work, this is going to hurt a little,” Regina informed the brunette, holding her hand, ignoring that she had saliva on her shirt.

Feeling the bones in her ankle move, Ruby giggled, the morphine was definitely working and she couldn’t feel any pain.  She watched as the bandage become loose, falling down to the top of her foot.  Regina’s hand was warm in hers and every once in a while she felt soft lips pressing kisses to her fingers.  Hearing a loud crack, Ruby pouted, “I felt that crack it was owwie but now my ankle feels good, I want a cuddle.”

“How about we head upstairs and get you into bed, I’ll lay down with you and give you all the cuddles you want,” Regina suggested, watching Ruby attempt to stand up but lose her balance.

Making their way upstairs, Regina opened the door to her bedroom and watched as Ruby dived onto the bed, giggling at her antics.  “I can’t wait until the morphine wears off,” she mumbled to herself, hoping this was the first and last time Ruby broke herself.

“Come join me GiGi, I want cuddles,” Ruby pouted, patting the spot next to her.

Raising both eyebrows at that nickname, Regina stood there for a second before moving over to the bed and lying next to Ruby.  Once the pain killers wore off Regina was going to have a talk about the use of nicknames, especially the usage of the last one that she was not fond of at all.

Turning onto her side so that she was facing Ruby, Regina placed one arm under her pillow and the other around Ruby’s waist.  Feeling Ruby cuddle into her chest, she slowly ran her hand up and down Ruby’s side, listening to the even breaths her true love was taking as she drifted off to sleep on a high.

 


	12. Chapter 12

February 2011

A chilly wind blew softly as the trees swayed and birds sung in tune with one another.  The snow that had fallen over the last few weeks was slowly melting.  Ruby and Regina walked along the edge of forest with their arm links, enjoying the day and spending time with each other.

“I think we should have chicken stroganoff with extra mushrooms for dinner, I’ve been having a craving for it since last night and I love how you do it in the slow cooker and with the jasmine rice in the rice cooker, it makes the whole house smell so good,” Ruby said, leaning into Regina and placing a quick kiss on her partner’s cheek.

“I was thinking something chicken and that actually sounds really good.  We have everything already for it so when we go home we can prep it and chuck it into the slow cooker.  Maybe we can even make apple pie for dessert,” Regina suggested, stepping over a stick on the ground.

“Yum, apple pie, and with the rate Henry is growing we both know that there will be no leftovers.  I still can’t believe that he ate three bowls of spaghetti bolognese last night and four pieces of garlic bread.”  Brushing the hair out of her face, Ruby let go of Regina and quickly threw her hair up into a ponytail.

“He’s only nine too, when puberty hits he will be eating twice as much as he does now.  Hopefully that’s not for a few more years though,” Regina replied, linking her arm back through Ruby’s, hoping that Henry would remain her little boy for a while longer.

“Granny used to tell me I ate enough to feed a village when I hit puberty.  She didn’t bother to inform me that it was the wolf though, I found that out the hard way,” Ruby remembered, her smile falling.

“I’d rather have been raised by Granny than my mother, every time I did something to defy her she would either send me to bed without dinner or belt the living crap out of me until I was crying and begging her to stop.  At least when she sent me to bed my dad would sneak me in something after she went to bed,” Regina responded, feeling the anger for her mother bubbling inside of her.

“I think we both just had shit mothers, sometimes I’m scared that I’m going to do something that my mother would do but I never really knew her so I don’t know why I think that,” Ruby replied, wondering if she made sense.

“I feel like that all the time, I try my best with Henry and I do hope I’m doing a better job but it’s like a fear that one day I’m going to do something.”  Giving Ruby’s arm a quick squeeze with hers, Regina looked up at the sky.

“You are a wonderful mother and one day I hope I’ll be half the mother you are,” Ruby smiled, resting her head on Regina’s shoulder for a second.

“I think I forgot to mention last night but after a year the renovations down in the psychiatric ward of the hospital are now complete,” Regina said, her hair blowing behind her.

“That’s amazing news, I’m glad you listened to me, when can we decorate the rooms?” Ruby asked, smiling brightly at the shorter woman.

“We definitely can, today if you want, I would like your approval before we move the patients.  We have six rooms renovated and there are four people down there.  I know we’re moving Belle into one of them I even had a bookshelf attached to the wall in her room.  Odette and Peter will be moved as the curse didn’t bother to give them a new identity and they’ve been mute ever since they were found.  I’m not sure about moving Sidney, what he did to us would have gotten him sent to jail and his cell at the moment is twice as nice so I don’t see why we should move him,” Regina said, wanting to hear Ruby’s opinion.

“Leave him where he is, I’m not going to do anything for him.  Can we go to the library and get some books to put into Belle’s room, maybe some for Odette and Peter too.  Oh!  And some fluffy pillows and nice quilt covers with matching pillow cases.  I want it to be like a peaceful area where they can relax and not feel like they’re been held like common criminals,” Ruby replied, stepping over a puddle of melting snow.

“We can do that and I already have six different covers and a stack of new pillows already at the ward.  I was going to ask you to pick ones out for the rooms we’re going to use,” Regina responded, smiling at Ruby.

“Excellent.  Once we decide to head home we can put dinner on and then head to the library then the hospital, maybe we can have them moved in by time Henry gets home from his after school play date,” Ruby said, planning out their day.

“We can try.”  Continuing to walk by the forest line, Regina felt at peace and like she really was changing for the better.  She could feel her old self, pre-marriage, coming back a bit more day by day and she had Ruby to thank for showing her that she could be good again.

Stopping suddenly, Ruby pulled Regina to a halt beside her.  “I hear and smell something off, like really strong cologne mixed with something sugary.”

“That sounds horrible, and I think the cause is coming toward us slowly,” Regina said, pointing at the figure.

“Whale,” Ruby growled, watching the man walking along the grass toward them, his head down.

“Just ignore him dear,” Regina responded, taking a step forward and pulling Ruby along with her.

“I will, I’m so having two helpings of dessert tonight, I’m going to need it,” Ruby replied, feeling Regina lean into her.

“You just love my apple pie,” Regina said, poking Ruby in the side.

“Caught out, it’s so good it’s like the best apple pie ever.  Don’t tell Granny I said that,” Ruby giggled, watching the smile spread across Regina’s face.  “Your smile is adorable,” she added, leaning in and placing a kiss on Regina’s cheek.

Feeling a jerk on her arm, Regina quickly turned to Ruby to see that Whale had a hold of her around the neck with one arm and was holding a knife in his hand, very close to Ruby’s throat.

“I want my job back now, I do not belong in Geriatrics, I want a public apology too or your play toy gets it Madam Mayor,” Whale said, his voice shaking with each word.

“Let her go now Whale or I’ll personally see that your only job is that of cleaning out bedpans all day long,” Regina replied, wishing that she was able to access magic and obliterate the man in front of her into a pile of ash for insulting her partner.

“Give me back my job and you can drop the ban on me buying alcohol too while you’re at it.  You don’t want blood spurting out of poor Ruby’s neck now do you?”  Making a show, Whale moved the object closer to Ruby’s throat.

“Drop the knife and let Ruby go without hurting her and I’ll let you have more shifts and swap you to either emergency or general,” Regina said, trying a change of tactic.

“You must really not want me to hurt this little tease.  She has an amazing body doesn’t she?  Too bad it’s been hidden lately thanks to you, Madam Mayor,” Whale replied, running his free hand over Ruby’s stomach.

“Get your hands off her Whale,” Regina spat through gritted teeth, noticing that the knife was only a centimetre from Ruby’s throat.

“You don’t like to share do you?” Whale softly said his tone kind of scary.

“Let her go or I swear when I get my hands on you I’ll tie you down to a cold, metal table and use you as a human experiment for whatever I please, I’ll try poisons, fire, slowly dissecting your most intimate body parts without any pain killers, killing you then reviving you, shocking you with different volts of electricity, I might even let Granny pay you a visit and we both know that she can top my worst tenfold,” Regina threatened, her voice low and powerful.

Dropping his hold on Ruby and pushing her forward, he looked around for the quickest escape route.  Feeling something hard connect with his nose, he fell backward onto the cold, wet ground and felt blood dripping down onto his lips.

“I am not a tease, or a whore, or whatever name you want to call me.  I love Regina and never in life would I sink so low to do anything with the likes of such a misogynistic bastard like you,” Ruby yelled at Whale, watching him get up and run into the forest.

“Ruby, baby, are you okay?” Regina asked, wrapping Ruby up in her arms and placing a soft kiss on the taller woman’s temple.

“I’m, I don’t know, I feel shaken up and scared I think,” Ruby replied, resting her head on Regina’s shoulder and closing her eyes, absorbing the warmth and love of her partner.

Holding Ruby close to her with one arm, Regina reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her mobile phone, dialling the sheriff’s office she placed the device against her ear.

“Sheriff Graham, I need you and a team to scour the forest near my house and arrest Doctor Whale.  He assaulted Ruby and held her at knife point, threatening the both of us.  Lock him away until we can deal with him,” Regina said, thinking of one hundred and one ways to make Whale’s life a living hell.

_“Can do Madam Mayor, we’ll let you know when we have him in custody.”_

Hanging up the phone, Regina placed it back in her pocket and rubbed Ruby’s back, trying to sooth the shaken woman.  “Let’s head home my love, I don’t think being out here while he’s around is safe,” she gently said, feeling Ruby move out of her embrace.

“Okay,” Ruby softly replied, gripping tightly onto Regina’s hand as they headed back in the direction of their house on Mifflin.

Walking up the small path to the front door, Regina looked at the time on her phone and realised it only took them ten minutes to walk back.  Letting go of Ruby’s hand she opened the door and they headed inside, locking it behind them Regina followed Ruby into the kitchen.

Going to the fridge and pulling out a small tray of chicken and a bag of mushrooms, Ruby placed them on the counter and turned to get the slow cooker out of the cupboard.  “I just feel so on edge and jittery and like I need to do something,” Ruby said, noticing the look on Regina’s face.

“I fully understand my love, would you like me to get started on the chicken?” She asked, knowing that Ruby hated the feeling of the raw meat on her hands which was kind of weird since the taller woman was also a werewolf.

“Yes please, I’ll put the sauce in and cut the mushrooms,” Ruby replied, plugging the slow cooker in and turning it on, watching as Regina pulled two chopping boards out of the cupboard.

“If you want to talk at any time I’ll be right here for you or if you just want to cuddle and watch TV instead...”

Hugging Regina tightly, Ruby didn’t give the brown eyed woman a chance to finish her sentence.  “I love you,” she said, burying her face into Regina’s shoulder and inhaling deeply, calming down at the familiar scent.

“I love you too,” Regina replied, holding Ruby close to her and running her hand through long, dark hair.

“I don’t know what I did to be treated like crap from Leroy and Whale.  Before I got my memories back Leroy was really nice to me, he has since apologised and been nothing but nice but he’s still weird around me.  Whale was civil enough, the flirting I’ve never appreciated but he tipped well.  I think I did something wrong about seven months ago when Henry broke his arm.  He started to be rude and insulting around then.  Two months ago was when it got bad and he grabbed me but he hasn’t said or done anything to me since then apart from today.  I just want to know what I did wrong,” Ruby said, her voice wavering as she gripped the back of Regina’s shirt.

“Baby, listen to me, you did absolutely nothing wrong, to me you are amazing and if they can’t see that it’s their fault.  When Graham finds Whale he’ll be locked away and we can hold him in the psychiatric ward for evaluation.  Since he’s not from our land the curse might be affecting him differently.  We can wipe his memory of the last year too if you’d like, I’ve almost found the right potion ingredients.  I think I’ll be able to have it completed by next week or the week after,” Regina replied, softly rubbing Ruby’s back.

“Okay, that makes me feel a little better, can we prepare dinner now?  I feel like I need to do something,” Ruby responded, giving Regina a quick squeeze before letting her go.

Working together, they chopped and sliced the chicken and mushrooms, adding the ingredients to into the big ceramic pot, hearing them lightly splash in the stroganoff sauce. 

Placing the lid on the slow cooker, Ruby smiled as their food began the slow process of turning into her favourite meal.  Moving over to the sink she picked up a tea towel and helped Regina clean up their mess.

“What would you like to do after we finish in here?” Regina asked, handing Ruby a rinsed off cleaned plate.

“I wouldn’t mind going to the library and selecting some books, we can keep the car doors locked on our way there, it’ll make me feel safer,” Ruby replied, setting the dry plate aside.

“That sounds good and we can lock every door we go through if you like.  I think the library has a box we can use to transport the books in so we won’t need to find one,” Regina said, turning off the tap and grabbing another tea towel to help dry.

Quickly finishing the dishes and putting them away, they locked up the house and headed for the car.  Getting in they drove to the library, music softly playing in the background as Ruby sang along it, Regina smiling in the driver’s seat.  Pulling up alongside the abandoned building, Regina parked the car and they got out, heading towards the double white doors.

“Is the town clock broken?  Come to think of it I’ve never seen it move,” Ruby asked, looking up at the large object.

“It’s not broken, time here is frozen and when the second hand moves it means that the curse is weakening and may break,” Regina explained, pulling the master key for the city out of her blazer pocket and opening the door.

Entering the library, Regina flicked on the lights and lightly tapped Ruby on the backside to move so she could lock the door behind them, keeping the cold air outside.

“This poor library looks like death on ice,” Ruby said, frowning at the dust covered books around them.

“It’s been untouched for twenty seven years I’ve only been in here five times I think,” Regina replied, going behind the counter and picking up an empty box.  Opening a box of tissues, she pulled a few out and dusted it off.

“Only five times, whatever could you have been doing in here?” Ruby joked, taking the empty box off Regina and placing it on a chair.

“Well, there’s um, a basement here,” Regina vaguely explained, walking over to a bookshelf and looking at the contents.

“Regina, what’s in here?” Ruby asked, knowing that she wasn’t being told everything.

“Maleficent is in here, and she’s locked up in the basement,” Regina answered, pulling some Lewis Carroll, William Shakespeare, and Agatha Christie off the shelf.

“Why is she in the basement and not locked up at the hospital?  Regina, what aren’t you telling me?” Ruby asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow at the shorter woman.

“There’s a dragon in the basement, Maleficent is a dragon,” Regina replied, dropping the books onto the counter.

“Now, that wasn’t hard was it?  Thank you for telling me.  Can I go see it?  I’ve always wanted to see a real dragon,” Ruby responded, smiling brightly at Regina.

“We’re going nowhere near that dragon, we’ll be toasted instantly,” Regina replied, wiping dust off the books in front of her.

“Fine, I’m going to go find a couple of good novels to take to the hospital.”  Walking past Regina, Ruby gently smacked the older woman’s backside.  “That’s for not telling me about the dragon sooner.”

“You’re such a brat,” Regina replied, placing the books into alphabetical order.

Browsing through the shelves Ruby created a pile of twenty books consisting of young adult, mystery, archaeological fiction, crime, fairytales, and science fiction.  Walking back to the counter where Regina was Ruby placed them down and began to dust them off.

Grabbing the box from where Ruby placed it Regina began to pack the books into it, impressed by the taller woman’s selection of literature.  Finishing up, Regina closed the box and smiled at her partner.  “I think we’re ready to get these to the hospital.”

“I’ll take the box, I want to see these rooms,” Ruby said, picking up the box and following Regina out of the boarded up building and out to the car.

Placing the box of books into the boot, they got into the car and headed toward the hospital, parking in their usual spot near the elevators.

Heading down to the psychiatric ward, box of books in hand, they walked into reception and greeted Myrtle who smiled at them briefly before getting back to her paperwork.

Opening the door to the cells, Regina led Ruby to the newly renovated rooms at the end of the corridor.  “I know they’re not much but once we’re done they might be nicer to live in,” Regina said, feeling unsure of herself.

“They’re amazing Regina,” Ruby replied, looking around the pale blue room fitted with a king single bed covered in a light pink quilt and matching pillows, a small bookshelf, a beanbag, a desk, and a chair.

“I’m glad you like it.  Shall we put the books in the four of the rooms that have been set up?” Regina asked, wanting the rooms to be perfect.

Sorting the books out into four piles of eight, Ruby placed the first pile into the room they were in and picked up another pile of books.  Placing them into all of the rooms, Ruby double checked each room to make sure they looked perfect.  Wrapping her arms around Regina, she pulled the shorter woman to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.  “The rooms are truly amazing my love.”

“Thank you Ruby, it really means a lot that you like them,” Regina replied, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Feeling a vibration between them, Regina let Ruby go and reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile phone.  “It’s Graham,” she said, answering the call.

“Hello Sheriff, have you done what I asked?” Tapping her foot lightly she wanted to make sure Whale was locked away as soon as possible.

_“We have Doctor Whale, he’s currently down at the station locked up in our cell, he’s admitted to attacking Miss Lucas.”_

“Keep him there until we can decide what to do with him, I’ll call you back tomorrow to discuss it further.”  Hanging up the phone she placed it back into her pocket and exhaled loudly.

“They’ve caught him?” Ruby asked, watching Regina.

“They have, the Sheriff will keep him locked away until we have a talk,” Regina replied, giving Ruby’s hand a quick squeeze.

“Okay.  Since we’ve finished setting up the rooms can move in Belle, Odette, and Peter?”  Straightening out her back and hearing it crack, Ruby looked at Regina.

“We can dear, I’ll just need to get Myrtle to help us just in case something happens,” Regina said, walking out of the room, and leading them out to reception.

“Hi Myrtle,” Ruby smiled leaning onto the reception desk.

“Hello Miss Lucas and Mayor Mills, how’s it going?” Myrtle replied, putting away her paperwork.

“We have finished setting up the rooms and they’re ready for our patients, we would like your help moving them,” Regina said, lightly tugging on Ruby’s arm to get her off the desk.

“I’ll join you in there in a minute, I’ll get prepared in case one of them acts out,” Myrtle replied, standing up and walking over to a closed door and opening it.

Heading back down the corridor and through the door into the cells, Ruby quickly checked each room and decided who would go where.  “I would like Peter to have the room with the blue quilt, Belle the pink quilt, and Odette the purple quilt.”

“I think Peter will be easiest to move, and then Odette, and Belle last.  Belle just doesn’t remember anything but she can talk and is fully mobile.  Peter only moves when moved and Odette just listens and screams but can walk when guided,” Regina responded, seeing Myrtle enter the corridor with a lab coat on.

Standing in front of the door to Peter’s cell Myrtle opened it up and went inside and gently held his arm and helped him to his feet.  Leading him out of his cell and to his new room, he put up no fight and easily entered the space, curling up on the soft bed.

Locking the door to his room, Regina looked at Ruby and noticed that she was pursing her lips together.  “What’s on your mind dear?”

“He’s so young, he only looks about thirteen or fourteen, I kind of just want to hug him and ruffle his hair and tell him it’s going to be okay,” Ruby replied, shaking her head.

“I know, I feel the same way.  I tried to get him in with a foster family a few years ago but it didn’t go well,” Regina responded, wanting Ruby to know that she had attempted to help the boy.

“Odette should be easy to move, I had to give her a mild sedative earlier as she started to shriek,” Myrtle said, walking over to a cell and opening the door.

Moving Odette out of cell, Myrtle held her tightly and walked her to the room that Regina opened the door to.  Sitting her down on the bed, Myrtle made sure Odette was supporting herself before walking out the room, the room being locked after her.

“Just Belle left,” Regina said, feeling anxious at moving the woman.

“I hope she likes her room,” Ruby replied, watching as Myrtle unlocked the last room and walked in.

“Belle sometimes doesn’t like to cooperate so this may be interesting,” Regina responded, holding onto Ruby’s hand.

Watching as Myrtle emerged with Belle, Ruby took a step forward and smiled at the short brunette woman.  “Hi,” she greeted, watching as the woman gave her a small smile in return.

“We have a new room for you, hopefully you will like it,” Regina said, walking behind them.

Entering the room, Ruby watched as Belle looked around.  “Do you like it, Belle?”

“I love it, it’s amazing,” Belle replied, looking around the room and picking up a book.  “I think I love to read,” she added, curling up on the beanbag with the book in her lap.

“If you would like any more books or anything changed, please let us know,” Ruby replied, already able to tell that Belle was happier in the new room.

“I will, thank you,” Belle replied, opening the book and beginning to read.

“I’ll be back later with dinner,” Myrtle said, ushering everyone out of the room and closing it behind her.

Locking all of the doors behind them, they headed to reception and Myrtle changed the room numbers on the patient’s files.

“We may have Doctor Whale coming down for a general psychiatric evaluation soon, Sheriff Graham has arrested him,” Regina told Myrtle, making sure she had time to prepare in case it was decided to do the evaluation.

“I’ll be ready, now excuse me while I go do my rounds, have a good day.”  Walking away, Myrtle left Ruby and Regina at the desk.

“Let’s get out of here,” Regina said, shifting her weight from foot to foot, uneasy all of a sudden.

“Sounds good,” Ruby replied, noticing Regina jittering.  Heading toward the exit, she made sure that Regina was close to her hoping to ease some of the older woman’s unease.

“I think we both need a long bath and sleep in when we get home.”  Running her hand through her hair Regina felt a wave of exhaustion hit her.

“Maybe we could have a nice long bath together I think it would be good for both of us,” Ruby said, reaching out and linking her arm with Regina’s.

“Once Henry goes to bed we can.  I’m also kind of glad that Myrtle gave Sidney a sedative so we wouldn’t have to deal with him,” Regina replied, leaning her head on Ruby’s shoulder.

“So am I.  Have I said yet that I am so proud of you, you have a good heart and I feel like I’m the luckiest person ever to be with you,” Ruby honestly told Regina, placing her hand on their linked arms.

“I love you Ruby, so much,” Regina said, feeling her heart swell with happiness.

“I love you too,” Ruby responded, placing a kiss on Regina’s head.

Walking down the corridor arm in arm, they got into the elevator and headed home, all of the day’s problems put aside for another day.


	13. Chapter 13

June 2011

It was a very hot summer’s day, the sun was high in the sky it’s rays piercing through the layers of atmosphere and hitting the ground below heating the concrete and roads to an unbearable temperature.  Car windows were wound up, the air conditioner up full blast, as people drove to their destinations.

Inside the living room at the house on Mifflin, Ruby sat in front of the air conditioner wearing her shortest pair of cotton shorts, and a black singlet shirt.  She could still feel the sweat clinging to her body, droplets running down her spine as she tried to cool off, the air conditioner only slightly helping with removing it from her front.

Hearing the front door open and close loudly Ruby turned her head and saw Henry walk into the room, kicking his shoes off in the direction of the kitchen.  “How was school?”

“Hot, very, very hot, I feel like I’m melting,” Henry replied, dropping his school bag onto the floor.

“Did you get any homework?”  Ruby asked, turning the air conditioner onto its highest setting.

“I did but I done it during lunch in the library, it had air conditioning,” Henry responded, smiling brightly at Ruby.

“Good, so what is it that you want to ask?  I know that look off by heart kiddo.”  Raising an eyebrow at Henry, she knew he knew what she meant.

“Can I go over to Jacob’s house for a swim and sleep over?  His mum already said it was fine, I just need to ask you and Mum,” Henry replied, looking at Ruby with puppy dog eyes.

“You can go.  I’ll send your mum a text message letting her know where you are and then I’ll help you pack a bag,” Ruby responded, smiling at the boy.

“Yay, thank you Ruby,” Henry happily replied, running up to Ruby and giving her a hug before heading upstairs, stopping half way.  “I’m going to call Jacob to let him know,” he added, continuing up to his bedroom.

Pulling out her phone, she sent Regina a message letting her know where Henry would be tonight, and got an instant reply that made her eyebrows rise.

‘Okay, maybe we could have some fun tonight too my love *wink* *wink* xx’

Typing back a row of three wink face emoticons, Ruby sent the message and headed upstairs to help Henry pack an overnight bag.

“What have you got out here kiddo,” Ruby asked, looking at the clothing piled onto the bed.

“I couldn’t find my swimmers so I had to pull everything out to get to them,” Henry replied, already changed into the swimwear.

“Okay, grab your beach towel and I’ll pack your bag,” Ruby responded, picking up an Iron Man themed bag and placing two sets of summer clothing into it, three pairs of underwear, a pair of socks just in case, and a set of cool, thin pyjamas.

“I have my towel, it was all the way in the back of the cupboard,” Henry said, handing Ruby the towel and watching her place it into his bag and zip it up.

“All ready then,” Ruby smiled, exiting the room carrying the bag with Henry following behind her.

“Jacob’s mum will be here in twenty minutes to pick me up, and once we get to his house we can go swimming,” Henry informed Ruby, feeling excited about going swimming as he didn’t get to often do it.

Placing the bag at the entrance to the living room, Ruby walked inside and relaxed onto the couch, enjoying the feeling of the air conditioner on her body, noticing that the room had gotten a little cooler.

Sitting down next to Ruby, crossing his legs under himself, Henry tapped his fingers against the couch before clearing his throat.  “Ruby, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can,” Ruby replied, turning to face Henry, noting that the boy sounded somewhat unsure about himself.

“I’ve been wondering something for a while now but I can’t ask Mum because I know it would make her feel really bad and angry,” Henry responded, looking at his hands.

“What is it Henry?” Ruby asked feeling slightly panicked that he couldn’t ask Regina.

“I want to know who my birth parents are and where I came from but I know if I ask Mum it will hurt her, and I was hoping you knew something,” Henry replied, still not looking up.

“Oh Henry, to be perfectly honest with you she hasn’t spoken much about it with me.  I only know that she adopted you from Boston through an agency and that you were only three weeks old when you came to Storybrooke.  She brought you to the diner the day after the adoption and I was the first person in town to hold you, you were so small and cute,” Ruby said, smiling at the boy.

“I only knew that I was adopted from Boston too, nothing else, I don’t think Mum will tell me.  Doctor Hopper is encouraging me to ask her but I know it won’t go well,” Henry replied, uncrossing his legs.

“Maybe ask her about it on the weekend, I’m not sure how she will react but she might tell you something,” Ruby responded, giving Henry’s arm a quick squeeze.

“I’ll think about it,” Henry said.  Hearing a knock on the door, his eyes opened wide and he jumped up from the couch.

Watching as Henry ran out the door, Ruby grabbed the bag and walked out to the car.  She greeted Jacob and his mother and watched as Henry got in the car, placing the bag in with him.  Saying their goodbyes, Ruby watched as the car drove off then headed back inside to her air conditioner.

Hearing her phone vibrate, she picked it up from next to her and read the text.  Getting up she tossed her phone back onto the couch and headed into the kitchen and turned on the oven.  Going to the fridge, she opened it up and pulled out the glass baking dish full of homemade lasagne, ready to cook for dinner.  Placing it into the oven, she smiled and headed back out into the living room, not wanting to be around something as hot as the oven.

 Taking a seat on the couch Ruby picked up her phone and messaged Regina back saying that the lasagne was in the oven.  Yawning loudly, Ruby changed her position on the couch and laid down on it, her long, smooth legs hanging over the arm rest. 

Closing her eyes, Ruby decided to rest for a couple of minutes, she was hot and she knew she had to tell Regina what Henry asked about but she had no idea about how to bring it up.  Regina was only sensitive to a select few topics and Henry’s adoption was one of them.

Her mind wandered through different topics as she lay there feeling the coolness of the air conditioner blow over her.  “Is the memory wiping potion complete?  Did Belle get the books she asked for?  Has the curse softened Sidney’s memories yet?  Has Whale been released for the psychiatric general ward?  How long had Henry been wondering about his birth parents?  How did Regina adopt him when Storybrooke technically doesn’t exist?  What did the wink faces in the text message mean?  Has Regina been replaced by an alien?  I can’t believe it’s been two years, two years...”

Shooting up in her spot, Ruby went wide eyed and grabbed her phone.  “Two years tomorrow,” she said to herself, only taking slight comfort in the fact that she found the perfect gift for Regina months ago, having it safely locked away at Granny’s house.

 Yawning loudly, Ruby flopped back down onto her back and smiled when she heard the door open.  “Is that the love of my life home?” she called out, the familiar sound of heels against the floor letting her know she was right.

“Yes,” Regina replied, walking into the living room and kicking off her heels, standing in front of Ruby and frowning.

Sitting up, Ruby patted the spot next to her and indicated for Regina to sit.  “So, something interesting happened today after Henry got home,” Ruby said, wanting to get it out of the way.

“Did it now?” Regina asked, noticing that Ruby sounded somewhat worried.

“It did and I know it’s something that you’re not very open about,” Ruby replied, trying to ease the shorter woman into the conversation.

“What was it Ruby?”  Taking a deep breath Regina prepared herself for the worst case scenario.

“Henry asked me if I knew anything about his birth parents as he doesn’t want to make you mad,” Ruby replied, reaching across and giving Regina’s hand a quick squeeze.

“I haven’t told him anything about it as I don’t know.  All I know is that he was born in Phoenix, Arizona and I was able to adopt him through an agency in Boston when he was three weeks old.  It was a closed adoption so I know absolutely nothing else and even if I wanted more information it would be hard to access it without magic,” Regina said, rubbing her hands over her face.

“Maybe you should have a sit down with him soon and let him know, it might help him,” Ruby suggested, preparing herself just in case Regina blew a fuse.

“I will in a few days, I’ll give him time to ask first,” Regina responded, leaning back against the couch.

“Okay,” Ruby said, not wanting to push Regina.  Noticing what the dark eyed woman was wearing, she looked her over and frowned.  “How are you not sweltering?”

“I’m good at hiding it,” Regina replied, thankful that she was directly in the flow of the air conditioner.

“How about we get you changed into something more comfortable,” Ruby suggested, moving to in front of Regina and beginning to undo the buttons on her white blouse.

“How about I go shower and you go check on dinner?” Regina responded, pulling Ruby in for a passionate kiss before letting her go and standing up.

“You’re such a tease,” Ruby pouted, walking into the kitchen and bracing herself for the heat she knew would hit her when she opened the oven door.

Walking up the stairs Regina waited until Ruby was out of sight before she leaned against the wall and sighed.  She knew that one day Henry would want to know about his birth parents but she didn’t think it would have been any time soon.

Knowing she had to go shower, Regina made her way into her bedroom and looked through her drawers getting out her coolest pair of pyjamas which consisted of a pair of plain black shorts and one of Ruby’s loose t-shirts.  Entering the en-suite she took off her work clothes, chucked them into the dirty clothes hamper and got into the shower.

Feeling the slightly warm water run over body she exhaled as she felt the cooling effect almost immediately.  Her mind was still on her son asking about his adoption, it didn’t bother her that he asked Ruby but it hurt her that Henry didn’t feel comfortable enough asking her.

Regina knew that her relationship with Henry had become strained over the last few months, he had been pulling away and no matter what she tried he just refused to connect with her.  Getting him into therapy to see if Doctor Hopper could help him with his thoughts and feelings had been Ruby’s idea and it had helped Henry greatly but Regina still felt as if the distance between her and her son would never close and it made her feel like she failed as a parent.

Tasting something salty, Regina realised that a few tears had escaped her eyes and ran down her cheeks and onto her lips.  Wiping at her eyes she tried to stop the tears and think happy thoughts but all she could think about was how rapidly her relationship with her son was falling apart.  It was like he knew something about her that no one else did and it made her wonder exactly when he decided that she wasn’t good enough to be his mother.

“Regina, what’s wrong baby?” Ruby asked, leaning against the door frame.  She had heard the faint sound of crying and wanted to make sure that Regina was okay or if she could help in any way.

“Nothing is wrong,” Regina replied, trying her best to hide her tears.

“Regina, please, just talk to me,” Ruby said, walking into the room and putting the toilet seat lid down and sitting on it.

“I just feel like Henry hates me and no matter what I try he just keeps pulling away,” Regina admitted, not wanting to look at the taller woman.

“Henry loves you Regina.  He’s got a lot of stuff he needs to work through in therapy.  Give him time and let him sort out his feelings.  Henry was raised right, he’ll come around eventually,” Ruby responded, knowing that lying to Regina was pointless.

“And if he doesn’t come around?  I’m going to lose my son and he’s going to hate me,” Regina replied, feeling more tears run down her cheeks.

“He will come round Regina, try talking to him and let him ask you whatever he wants.  Let him be in control of the conversation.  He’s a smart boy and if he feels like what he says is being listened to he may open up.”  Watching Regina grab a loofah and soap it up she waited patiently, hoping that the shorter woman was processing what she had to say.

Washing herself with melon and vanilla scented body wash, she took the time to gather her thoughts.  She could see Ruby sitting there out of the corner of her eye and she knew that listening to Ruby was usually a pretty good idea.  Ruby was able to read other people’s emotions a lot easier than she could and it came in use quite often.

Rinsing the soap off of her body, Regina squirted some face wash onto her hands and rubbed it into her face.  Washing it off, she could feel the remaining make up on her face being absorbed into the liquid and washed down the drain with the water.  Doing one last rinse off, she inhaled and exhaled, gathering herself, before turning the shower off.

Stepping out of the shower, she reached for the towel and wrapped it around herself, already feeling the heat of the room.  Walking into the bedroom Regina could hear Ruby following her.  “Is the lasagne almost ready?” she asked, wanting a different topic of conversation.

“It needs maybe ten more minutes to get that nice golden colour on top,” Ruby replied, watching Regina dry off.

“Okay,” Regina responded, putting on her underwear and shorts, followed by her shirt.  “Can we go see if it’s cooked?”

“Of course,” Ruby replied, leading them out of the room and into the kitchen.

Going to the oven, Regina checked on the lasagne and pulled it out, turning the oven off.  “How big a piece do you want?” she asked, noticing that Ruby was already getting their bowls out.

“My normal size piece will be fine,” Ruby responded, putting the bowls down on the counter.

Cutting out two servings, Regina placed them into the bowls and pulled out the garlic bread that she left in the oven.  Adding half of the loaf to each of their bowls, she accepted a fork from Ruby and picked up a bowl for herself.

Going over to the dining room table, Regina sat in her normal spot and stabbed her food with her utensil. 

Joining Regina, Ruby gently set her bowl down and started to eat it, watching Regina’s every move.  The older woman had her head down and didn’t once look up from her food.  It was one of the first signs that Regina was about to close up and erect ten foot high walls around her thoughts and feelings.  “What’s on your mind?” Ruby asked, putting a forkful of lasagne in her mouth and chewing it.

“Nothing,” Regina replied, slapping some lasagne onto a piece of garlic bread and shoving the whole thing into her mouth.

“Really?  When you finish choking down your food can you be honest with me?” Ruby asked in slightly demanding tone.

“Nothing is physically wrong,” Regina shot back, finishing up her dinner a few last bites.  “I’ll be in bed.”

Watching Regina get up and walk away without looking back, Ruby quickly finished her dinner, cleared the table, and done the dishes, putting them away just how Regina liked it.

Heading upstairs, she stopped at the top platform and listened to see if she could hear anything.  Only noticing silence, Ruby headed to her bedroom and saw Regina laying down on their bed, shaking slightly.

Quietly entering the room, she flicked the bedside lamp on and turned off the main bedroom light.  Sliding in behind Regina’s small frame, Ruby pulled the shorter woman to her and spooned her.  Softly caressing Regina’s bare stomach with her hand, she placed a small kiss on the back of Regina’s head. 

Relaxing into Ruby’s embrace Regina wiped the tears from her face.  “I feel like such a failure, my son hates me and wishes I never adopted him.  He actually said that to me a few days ago when I told him to do his homework.”

“Regina, baby, you are not a failure at all, Henry loves you so much even if he says the exact opposite, he’s almost ten years old and is just trying to find himself,” Ruby said, hoping she didn’t say anything wrong.

“I know but it still hurts a lot.  Nothing before, when I was the Evil Queen, could hurt me and now I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest every time he hates on me or tells me that I don’t love him.  It hurts so much,” Regina admitted, a new set of tears running down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry baby, I wish there was some way I could take the pain away from you.  I love you and would do anything for you,” Ruby replied, trying to convey how much she loved Regina through touch.

“I love you too, Ruby.  Can you please hold me tonight?” Regina asked, sniffling, feeling small and like she’d fall apart completely if her partner wasn’t there with her.

“Of course my love, I’m going nowhere,” Ruby replied, pulling the sheet over them before relaxing into the bed with Regina safely wrapped up in her arms.

Lying together in the middle of the bed, Ruby held Regina close to her, trying to calm her down, hoping that the remaining tears would eventually stop.  Their legs were intertwined and Ruby had a hand on Regina’s stomach, under her shirt, softly caressing the skin there in a soothing motion, hoping it would help Regina to fall asleep peacefully.  Placing a kiss onto the back in Regina’s head, Ruby closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing hoping that the repetitive action would lull them both into unconsciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

October 2011

In his bedroom, Henry sat in front of his open window, his arms crossed on the frame with his chin resting on them.  The night sky was a dark blue; a few stars twinkled giving him hope as he watched over the silent town.  The clock tower hadn’t moved for as long as or ever longer than he had been alive. 

Sighing, Henry looked back to the book he had tucked under his pillow.  Miss Blanchard had given him the book on fairy tales a week ago and ever since he opened the first page everything had suddenly made sense to him.  He read the entire book from cover to cover multiple times and could only come to the one conclusion: everyone in Storybrooke was a character in his fairy tales book. 

He knew he had to tell someone about the book and what it meant.  The Evil Queen was his mother and he didn’t know why she chose him to her son.  Scenarios only ending in the worst form of possibilities crossed his mind and he knew he needed someone on his side.  Henry knew that his best option was to talk to Ruby, after all she was Little Red Riding Hood and with giving her that knowledge she would be able to be careful of the big bad wolf, who Henry was sure of was his mother.

Wondering if Ruby was still awake, Henry got up and walked out of his bedroom.  The light to his mother’s room was off but the office light was on and the door was slightly ajar.  Tip toeing over to it, he quickly looked inside and could just see his mother behind her desk reading over paperwork.

Walking toward the stairs that led to the living room and kitchen, Henry could barely hear the sounds from the television.  Heading to the living room, Henry saw Ruby lying on the couch and smiled.  “Hi Ruby,” he said not too loudly, hoping that Regina couldn’t hear him.

 “Hey Henry, why aren’t you in bed?” Ruby asked, looking at the time on her phone and realising it was after 10:00 p.m.

“Something is on my mind and I can’t have Mum find out at all.  Can I talk to you?” he asked, a slightly troubled look on his young features.

“Of course you can,” Ruby said, sitting up and patting the spot next to her.

“Can we talk in my bedroom?  I need to show it to you,” Henry replied, wondering why Ruby was making a weird expression.

“We can but please tell me it’s not a living animal of any kind,” Ruby responded, curious as to what it was.

“It’s not a living thing, not even close,” Henry replied, heading up to his bedroom, Ruby following close behind.

Closing his bedroom door behind them, Henry walked over to his bed and pulled out the large book of fairy tales and placed it down on his desk.  “I got given this book by Miss Blanchard last week after I couldn’t do my family tree homework.  I told her I felt like both my birth mother and Mum don’t love me.  She told me they both love me and handed me this booking and told me that she sees hope in the stories and maybe I will too.”

“Are you seeing hope in any of the stories?” Ruby asked, having never seen or heard of the book that was being shown to her.

“I’m seeing more than hope within the pages, I’m seeing who everyone in this town really is,” Henry replied, flipping it to a story near the middle of the book.

“Who do you think everyone really is?” Ruby asked, wondering what Henry knew and how he came to know it.

“I think Mum is really the Evil Queen, Miss Blanchard is Snow White, Leroy is Grumpy who is one of the dwarfs, Marco is Geppetto, I think Doctor Hopper is Jiminy Cricket, Granny is Widow Lucas, and you are Little Red Riding Hood.  I’m still trying to figure out who everyone else is but I’m positive I’m correct,” Henry responded, taking a deep breath in.

Stunned, Ruby looked at Henry and then to the open page he was pointing at.  It was the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the picture looked almost exactly like she did when dressed in her clock and Enchanted Forest attire.  “She’s a very beautiful woman but unfortunately I’m not her,” Ruby said, trying to not lead Henry on with any information about her real identity.

“You are Ruby, you just don’t remember.”  Flicking through the book to one of the last stories, Henry showed it to the green eyed woman.  “See here, you don’t remember who you are because the Evil Queen cast a curse on everyone so you would all forget who you are.  You are Little Red Riding Hood, Ruby, and I think the big bad wolf is actually Mum, it all makes sense now,” Henry explained, closing the book up.

“That’s a very interesting perspective Henry, I would say, wouldn’t I know if I was cursed but then I guess I wouldn’t.  I don’t feel cursed,” Ruby tried, knowing that Henry wouldn’t drop the subject.

“I think you are cursed, your Storybrooke name is Ruby Lucas, while your fairy tale name is probably Red Lucas and Widow Lucas or Granny is your grandmother, it all makes sense,” Henry replied, trying to convince Ruby of her true identity.

“That does kind of fit but who would name their poor child Red?” Ruby asked, not letting Henry know just how correct he was.

“That I don’t know, it doesn’t list your parent’s in here.”  Yawning loudly, Henry tried to stop it so he could continue to tell Ruby about the book.

“I think it’s time you went to sleep Mister,” Ruby said, changing the topic.

“I’m not tired and I need to tell you more,” Henry responded, sitting down on his bed.

“How about you go to bed now and while your mum is at work tomorrow afternoon after you finish school we can go through it all and see what does and doesn’t match up?” Ruby suggested, feeling the panic rise inside of her.

“Promise?”

“I promise Henry, get some sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow,” Ruby said, watching the boy get into bed.

“Goodnight Ruby.”  Pulling his blankets up to his chin Henry felt really tired.

“Goodnight Henry, sweet dreams,” Ruby replied, leaving the room and closing the door firmly behind her.

Pacing back and forth down the hallway as quietly as she could, Ruby had no idea about what she should do.  She knew that she had to tell Regina because whoever the author of the book was knew exactly what had happened and made it available for anyone in the town to get a hold of.  She was just currently grateful that the book was with them inside of the house.

Making up her mind and heading toward Regina’s office, she slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind her.  “We have a problem,” she said through clenched teeth, leaning against the door.

“Ruby, what’s wrong?  What problem?  Did I do something wrong?” Regina asked, automatically thinking it was her fault.

“Oh God, no, you did nothing wrong,” Ruby replied, frowning that Regina straight away blamed herself.

“Come here, Ruby,” Regina said, pulling out the footstool for the taller woman to sit on.

Walking over to the desk, Ruby sat on Regina’s lap and hugged the shorter woman, placing a kiss on her cheek.  “Why did you think you did something wrong?” she asked, wondering why Regina’s thoughts went straight to that idea.

“I just thought you were mad because I was still working,” Regina replied, holding Ruby to her.

“I’m not mad at all my love, but we do have a major crisis, a red alert, a nine-one-one, a code zero, a whatever you want to call it on our hands,” Ruby responded, getting off Regina and sitting on the footstool.

“What is it?” Regina asked, her heart pounding in chest at the urgency in Ruby’s voice.

“Okay, Henry asked to speak to me just before I came in here and Regina, he knows, I don’t know how but he knows,” Ruby quietly replied, taking hold of Regina’s hands.

“What does he know?” Regina asked, having no idea what Ruby was going on about.

“He knows about the Enchanted Forest and our real identities.  He told me that you were the Evil Queen, I was Little Red Riding Hood and Mary Margaret was Snow White.  He also knows the identities of Doctor Hopper, Marco, Granny, and Leroy and he wants to find out the rest, he has this book he got given and it has every story in it from our land,” Ruby quickly explained, finally able to take a deep breath in.

Gripping onto the arm rests of her chair as tightly as she could, Regina couldn’t move or speak; she felt as if her whole world had just crashed down around her and burnt to the ground.  Her eyes were clouded over with tears and she tried her best not to let them fall.

Regina could feel her lungs burning for oxygen.  She tried to take a deep breath in but couldn’t, she felt a hard lump in her throat, it was restricting, her head was spinning, she was angry and devastated.  Feeling strong arms pulling her out of her seat, Regina felt herself being moved into Ruby’s lap and held close, she could smell the familiar scent of her partner and she closed her eyes.

She could faintly hear Ruby telling her to calm down and breathe, to take deep breaths but she couldn’t.  The warmth of Ruby’s hand rubbing her back helped a little but she still couldn’t do anything. 

“Regina, baby, deep slow breaths, I know you can do it, I love you, deep, slow breaths baby,” Ruby soothingly said over and over, feeling Regina’s tears soaking into her t-shirt. 

Finally able to take a deep breath, Regina tried her best to control her breathing and after a few minutes she was able to breathe normally.  Her eyes and throat burned and her chest felt heavy.  “I’m sorry,” Regina said, barely above a whisper, angry at herself because she wasn’t able to control her reaction.

“You have nothing to be sorry about my love, how about you talk me through your thought process?” Ruby suggested, hoping that talking would help the shorter woman. 

“He knows who I truly am and he thinks I’m filth, I did nothing but kill people and ruin lives, I’m going to lose him and he has every reason to hate me.  We can’t let him know though, if he goes around telling everyone it’ll cause an upheaval and I don’t know how the curse will react to it,” Regina replied, grabbing a tissue from her desk and blowing her nose.

“Regina, you are not filth and I’m not going to excuse your actions as the Queen but you have spent the last twenty eight years slowly changing, we all have.  You are such a wonderful and beautiful woman and have done nothing but care for everyone in this town since the curse happened.  You’re a great mother and partner and I couldn’t see myself without you ever.  If you think it is best not to tell Henry I’ll go along with it, I would rather not see the town crumble,” Ruby responded, running her hands through Regina’s dark hair.

“This world does have the fairy tales of all our real selves so if he does tell anyone they would probably think its Henry’s imagination running wild,” Regina said, feeling guilty that she couldn’t tell her son the truth.

“I think that we should sleep on it and after my talk with Henry tomorrow afternoon, we can decide on what to do about it.  You’ve had a big night and I really do think that you need to relax.  How about we leave everything alone in this room, head downstairs and watch a couple of episodes of Modern Family,” Ruby suggested, letting go of Regina so they could both stand up.

“I like the sound of that,” Regina replied, blowing her nose on a handful of tissues.

Heading down to the living room, Regina went into the kitchen and got a glass of water while Ruby set up the DVD player.  Settling onto the couch Regina placed her drink on the coffee table and curled up next to Ruby.

Wrapping an arm around Regina, Ruby felt the shorter woman relax into her embrace, placing her head against Ruby’s shoulder.  Hitting ‘play all’ on the menu screen Ruby placed a small kiss on Regina’s head and settled in to watch their show, hoping that it would help Regina calm down before they turned in for the night.


	15. Chapter 15

October 2011

Opening the front door to her house as quickly as she could, Regina ran inside and checked the living room, kitchen, dining room, study, bathroom, and foyer, all of the downstairs area, looking for her son. 

Heading upstairs, Regina went into all of the spare rooms and Henry’s room, checking under the beds and inside of the wardrobes she found nothing.  Going into her office she looked around quickly before heading into the bathroom.  Finding both rooms untouched, Regina went into the last room to check for Henry, her bedroom.

Entering her bedroom, she noticed Ruby asleep on their bed.  Looking at her watch, she realised that Ruby finished work in an hour but was already home.  “Ruby!  Wake up!” Regina loudly said, shaking the taller woman awake.

“Regina, what is it?” Ruby asked, sitting up on the bed, rubbing her forehead.

“It’s Henry, the school called me at my office and asked why he wasn’t in class the teachers checked everywhere and couldn’t find him.  We dropped him off this morning and now he’s gone,” Regina replied, frantically looking around the room in search for the boy.

“How about we put on sensible footwear and go look around town for Henry, I’ll help you find him,” Ruby calmly said, standing up and running her hands over her head.

Kicking her heels off, Regina took off her work attire and changed into a pair of black tights and a loose shirt.  Putting socks on, she put her sneakers on and turned to face Ruby who was already dressed in a similar outfit to hers.  “I think we should drive, it’ll be quicker,” she said, exiting the room and running down the stairs and out the front door.

“Regina, wait up,” Ruby called out, locking the front door to their house.

“Hurry up,” Regina said, watching as Ruby got into the car and closed the door.  Pulling out of the driveway as quickly as she could, Regina sped down the road and headed towards the park, the first place Henry usually went.

“Do we know when Henry was last seen at the school?” Ruby asked, putting her seatbelt on, remaining calm.

“He was there until recess, he disappeared after that,” Regina replied, braking hard before turning the corner; Ruby grabbing hold of the ‘oh shit’ handle.

“So somewhere around 11:00 a.m.  It’s now 1:35 p.m.  Do you think this has something to do with his determination to break the curse?” Ruby voiced, knowing it was on Regina’s mind.

“I have a feeling that it might be, my son hates me and wants me dead, has refused to call me Mum and refers to me as the evil queen or other interesting names, I thought Doctor Hopper was supposed to help him believe they’re all make believe,” Regina responded, feeling like it was all her fault.

Pulling up outside of the park, Regina got out of the car and checked inside of the play equipment.  “He’s not here,” she loudly said so Ruby could hear her clearly as she checked near the trees.

“I don’t think he even came him today, I can usually smell him up to an hour after he’s left the room.  I’m very used to the scent of the both of you,” Ruby replied, getting into the car and for Regina to join her.

“Where should we check now?” Regina asked, the panic trying to overwhelm her.

“Go to the school, we can walk around it and I’ll see if I can pick up on his scent,” Ruby responded, feeling the car speed forward.  Winding down her window she kept an eye out to see if she could spot the boy.

Driving down the roads, doing the speed limit, Regina wanted to do nothing more than to press down on the accelerator and go as fast as she could.  She wanted to find her son and nothing was going to stop her.

“Regina, can we swing past the front of the post office again?  I think I caught his scent for a second or two,” Ruby asked, closing her eyes and concentrating.  It was times like these that she wished that her wolf sense was completely back and not only partially back like it currently was.

Turning the car around in a sudden u-turn, Regina pulled up outside of the building.  “Was he here?”

“He was, it’s very faint but he was here within the last two hours I’d guess,” Ruby replied, looking up and seeing the taxi bay sign.

“Let’s go inside and ask if they’ve seen him,” Regina said, already halfway out of the car.

Following the shorter woman inside of the building, Ruby realised she had never bothered to enter the building before.  She watched Regina talk to the staff member on the counter who was very obviously intimidated by her.  Noticing the dark eyed woman slamming her hands down on the counter she walked over to her and gently took hold of Regina’s arm.  “Let’s go, we’ve found out he was here and got into a taxi,” she said, guiding the shorter woman out of the building, ignoring the death stare Regina was giving her.

“I think I could have gotten more out of her,” Regina said once they were outside.

Taking a deep breath in, Ruby turned to face Regina and placed her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders.  “Listen to me very carefully, intimidating people and yelling at them isn’t going to get you anywhere, if you want them to answer you try being polite.  If you keep this up you’re going to waste valuable time.  I understand that you want to find Henry as soon as possible, I do too but you can’t go around being mean.  I want you to take a deep breath in and then we’re going to get into the car and head to the taxi dispatch.”

“I’m sorry, I just feel like I failed and that it’s my fault he’s gone,” Regina admitted, determined to not let her tears fall.

“It’s not your fault and you didn’t fail at all,” Ruby responded, pulling Regina in for a hug before they both got into the car.

Putting the car into drive Regina headed toward the taxi dispatch office.  “Why would Henry need to catch a taxi for?” she asked, not knowing what the boy was up to.

“I don’t know, he has been determined to prove us both wrong so it’s either something to do with that or I have no idea,” Ruby replied, running her hand through her hair.

“He caught a taxi at 11:15 a.m.so he has a massive head start on us.  I want to know how he paid for it.  Everything is still in my purse, no money is missing at all,” Regina said, lightly braking to turn a corner.

“Everything was in my purse as well when I left work today and stopped to get some ice cream,” Ruby responded, watching Regina.

“Why were you home early?  I thought you didn’t finish work until five,” Regina questioned, now only remembering that Ruby was home at one.

“Granny let me have the afternoon off as I got hit by a wave of period pain and almost doubled over in the cold room.  I took pain killers, had some chocolate ice cream, and took a nap and now it’s not bothering me,” Ruby replied, noticing they were outside of the dispatch building.

“You should have called me and I would have picked you up,” Regina said, turning the car off.

“I didn’t want to disturb you, I know you had a lot of work to do today,” Ruby responded, getting out of the car and waiting on the footpath for Regina to join her.

Heading up the path and through the front door Regina walked up to the desk where a stoutly man sat who she did not recognise from their land.  Quickly glancing at Ruby, Regina took a deep breath in and composed herself.

“Hi, would you please be able to help me with some information?” Regina said, somewhat greeting the man.

“Hi Mayor Mills, hi Ruby, what can I help you with?” the man happily asked.

“Hey Matt,” Ruby smiled, moving next to Regina.

“Would you be able to tell us who picked up a boy outside of the post office today at 11:15 a.m.? Regina asked, feeling Ruby’s hand on her lower back.

“It was most likely either Caspian or Brian, I’ll go check out the back, they’re both on lunch breaks at the moment,” Matt replied, heading to the back room.

“You’re doing good Regina, keep it up,” Ruby said, give the shorter woman a quick side hug.

“I talked to the boys; Brian dropped a boy off near the town line, the kid said it was for a school excursion and he was late.  He paid by credit card, I’ll pull up who owns the card for you now,” Matt said, coming out and sitting in front of the computer.

Reaching for Ruby’s hand Regina held onto it tightly and squeezed, feeling panicked at the information she had just received.

“The cab ride was paid for by a credit card under the name of Mary Margaret Blanchard,” Matt informed them, printing off the receipt and handing it to Regina.

“Thank you, Matt,” Ruby smiled, leading Regina out of the building and to the car.

“When I get my hands on Snow bloody White...”

“...You will do nothing Regina,” Ruby said, cutting her off.

“She gave my child a story book about our land and then he suddenly has her credit card and has crossed the town line,” Regina almost screamed, feeling the anger inside of her rising.

“Regina, calm down, Henry has been acting out for over a year now, the book just gave him a different way to express it.  I don’t want to say this but he is in Mary Margaret’s class, maybe he stole it before heading out to recess and went straight to the taxi bay,” Ruby suggested, watching Regina’s face for any signs of an eruption of emotion.

“I’m going to call the sheriff and ask him to check in on Mary Margaret and ask her about the card and tell him what we’ve learnt,” Regina said, pulling her phone out and making the call.

Waiting for Regina to finish and get off the phone, Ruby pulled her in for a hug, kissing her on the forehead.  “How about we go to the town line and see if he crossed it or wandered into the forest?”

“That would help us narrow it down to Storybrooke or somewhere outside of the town,” Regina replied, letting go of Ruby and getting into the car.

Driving in silence with the windows wound all the way down, Ruby knew that Regina needed time to process her thoughts and feelings.  She looked at the shorter woman her face was tense, eyes glaring at the road in front of her, lips pressed together.  Regina’s knuckles were white with how hard she was gripping onto the steering wheel.

The trees were swaying in the wind as they drove along the empty road, a few branches shedding their leaves onto the ground where the road met the soil, creating an orange, red, and yellow display.

Pulling over to the side of the road with the leaving sign right in front of them, Regina turned the car off and got out of the vehicle.  Motioning to Ruby to join her she leaned against the taller woman and felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.  “Was he here?” she asked, knowing what the answer was based on her gut feeling.

“He was, I need to go for a walk up to the line to make sure he crossed it,” Ruby replied, placing a kiss on Regina’s head.

“I’ll walk up with you so we don’t accidently cross it,” Regina said, taking hold of Ruby’s hand and walking them up to the barrier which protected the town.

“Regina, he crossed the town line, I’m positive of it,” Ruby responded, holding tightly onto Regina’s hand.

“He’s gone and I have no idea where he is, he could be anywhere, my son is gone,” Regina replied, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Wrapping Regina up in her arms, Ruby held her tightly, gently rubbing soothing circles on the shorter woman’s back.  Ruby knew the only thing she could do was to hold Regina and comfort her, support her, and just be there for her.  Letting Regina get it all out now was better than her holding it in and enraging herself.  Placing a kiss on Regina’s temple, Ruby moved short dark brown hair back to behind her partner’s ear and held her tightly until she stopped crying.  

Pulling back slightly, Regina wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed loudly.  “What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice sounding broken.

“We need to inform Graham so he can contact the surrounding cities.  If they find him we can go and collect Henry from wherever he is.  I think that we should rest just in case we have a long drive tonight,” Ruby said, wiping away the remains of Regina’s tears.

“Okay,” Regina agreed, handing Ruby the keys to the car.

Getting into the car Ruby made sure that Regina had her seatbelt on before performing a u-turn and heading back into town, going to their house on Mifflin.

Going inside of the house, Regina kicked her shoes off and sat down on the couch pulling her phone out of her pocket.  Dialling the sheriff’s department, Regina put the phone to her ear.

_“Sheriff Graham speaking, how can I help you?”_

“Sheriff, it’s the mayor, my son Henry crossed the town line,” Regina said, trying to remain calm.

_“I’ll call up all surrounding cities and put out an alert to look for him, I’ll send them his details and photo via e-mail as well just to make sure they have all the information,”_ Graham replied.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Regina responded, hanging up the phone, keeping their conversation brief.

Sitting down next to Regina, Ruby wrapped an arm around her partner, turned the television on and powered up the DVD player.  They had been having a marathon of Star Trek Voyager since they finished Modern Family two weeks ago and she thought that it might offer a little distraction while they waited for Graham to call them back about Henry.

\---

Looking up at the clock on the kitchen wall Regina noticed that it was a little past 10:00 p.m.  Her mind was racing and she was getting more and more nervous as each minute passed by.

“Regina, I hear a woman with Henry just outside the door,” Ruby said, watching as the shorter woman ran to the door and swung it open.

Seeing Henry standing next to a blonde woman, Regina ignored her and run to Henry.  “Henry!  Henry!   Are you okay?” she asked, wrapping the boy up in her arms.  “Where have you been?  What happened?”

Letting go of the boy and placing her hands on his shoulders Regina waited for an answer.

“I found my real mum!”  Henry replied, hostility clear in his voice.  Running to the house he pushed past Ruby and entered the foyer.

“I’ll go check on him,” Ruby said, following the boy inside.

Turning to face the woman in front of her who returned her son, she looked the woman up and down.  "You're Henry's birth mother?"

“Hi,” the blonde woman replied, nervously standing in front of Regina.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" Regina asked her, noticing the woman's nervousness.

"Got anything stronger?" the blonde woman asked in reply.

“Unfortunately not,” Regina replied, opening the front door.

“I’m Emma by the way, Emma Swan,” Emma said introducing herself.

Entering the house Regina led them to the dining room and stood in front of the hallway table against the wall which held her cider and poured them both a drink.

"How did he find me?"  Emma asked, looking around the large room.

"No idea.  When I adopted him he was only three weeks old.  The records were sealed; I was told the birth mother didn't want any contact," Regina replied, handing Emma a glass of cider.

“You were told right,” Emma replied, bringing the glass to her lips.

“And the father?” Regina asked, swirling the liquid around in her glass.

“There was one,” Emma replied, taking a sip of the drink.

“Do I need to be worried about him?” Regina questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope. Doesn't even know,” Emma responded, looking to the ground.

“Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?” Regina asked, once again looking the woman over.

“Absolutely not,” Emma replied, feeling uncomfortable inside of the house.

“Henry’s fine, he’s just very tired.  I got him to change into his pyjamas and he’s in bed,” Ruby said, entering the room.

“Thank you Ruby,” Regina responded, grateful that the green eyed woman had joined them.  “This is Emma.”

“Hi Emma, it’s nice to meet you,” Ruby greeted with a smile on her face, walking toward the sitting room, the two women following her.

“I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life.  I really don't know what's gotten into him,” Regina apologised, not needing anyone else to be brought into their lives.

“Kid's having a rough time.  Happens,” Emma replied, feeling slightly more relaxed with the other woman in the room.

“You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky.  You have a job, I assume?” Regina asked, wanting to get more information out of the blonde.

“Uh, I keep busy. Yeah,” Emma said, being vague on the subject.

“Imagine having another one on top of it.  That's being a single mum.  So I push forward.  Am I strict?  I suppose.  But I do it for his own good; I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?  Regina asked, trying to reason with the woman.

“I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing,” Emma replied, brushing off what Regina had said.

“What fairytale thing?” Regina asked, curious as to what story he told Emma.

“Oh, you know; his book.  How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it.  Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket,” Emma tried to explain.

“I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about,” Regina replied, wanting the blonde woman to leave.

“You know what?  It's none of my business. He's your kid.  And I really should be heading back,” Emma said, wanting to make it home before dawn.

“Of course,” Regina replied, leading Emma to the front door and bidding the woman goodbye.

“She seems nice enough,” Ruby said, walking over to Regina and closing the door for her, blocking her view of Emma leaving.

“I hate her already,” Regina replied, turning to face the taller woman.

“You don’t hate her you’re just intimidated by her.  She’s going home so hopefully we’ll never see her again,” Ruby responded, stepping forward and wrapping Regina up in her arms.

Resting her cheek against Ruby’s shoulder, Regina exhaled and relaxed into the embrace of her partner.  Her emotions were still running wild and what her son had said to her had hurt her deeply.  She knew she had to speak to Henry again but every time she tried Henry always accused her of being evil.

For tonight she would let it all be and try to process the day.  Holding Ruby as tightly as she could she breathed in the scent of her partner and was as thankful as ever that she had Ruby in her life.


	16. Chapter 16

December 2011

The wind was raging loudly outside, the lush green hedges and small flower beds which lined the garden path were swaying beyond their natural movements, throwing previously fallen snow everywhere.  Inside of the cosy house on Mifflin, Regina, Ruby, and Henry sat around the dining table, dinner already finished, but the current exchange of words were in full swing.

 “I don’t care!  I’m ten years old I can make up my own mind!” Henry yelled at his mother.

“You are only ten, you’re a child, my child, and I’ll be the one to decide what you can and cannot do,” Regina calmly replied, looking her son squarely in the eyes.

“You are not my mum!  Emma is my mum!  I hate you!”  Henry screamed, getting up from the table and running up to his bedroom, slamming the door loudly.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore,” Regina said, her son’s words cutting into her.

“I don’t know what to do either baby,” Ruby replied, getting out of her seat and moving to where Regina was.

Standing up, Regina leant into Ruby and felt her partner’s arms wrap around her tightly.

“Ever since Miss. Swan came into town she’s ruined everything.  Henry would at least listen to me, time was frozen which it clearly now isn’t, Charming woke up, she decided to stay in town, Ashley had her baby, Graham made Miss Swan deputy, Henry got stuck in a collapsed mine, Hopper threatened me by saying my son is better off with the woman who gave him up, Graham started to get him memories back and then died...”

“Regina, he didn’t die, you crushed his heart in a fit of anger,” Ruby cut in, still angry that Regina gave in to her former self.

“Okay, I crushed his heart while enraged which killed him which I shouldn’t have done.  I’m sorry I gave in, I still am trying but with the curse untangling I’m scared and can’t handle it,” Regina replied, holding Ruby tighter, not wanting to look into her eyes.

“If you feel like that ever again I want you to call me before you do anything, I’ll be right there for you to talk you out of it,” Ruby responded, resting her chin on Regina’s head.

“Getting back to what has happened since Miss Swan got into town, someone again decided to burn down Town Hall with me inside, she got elected as sheriff so isn’t going to be leaving any time soon, she’s reuniting families that were broken up by the curse, some random arrived in town on his motorbike, and I’ve been accused of stealing city funds when I was actually making a new playground for the children,” Regina finished, exhaling loudly.

“It’s a lot, I know, but Christmas is in a week and we’ve already got everything sorted.  How about we sit down later and just relax before bed,” Ruby suggested, pulling back slightly to look Regina in the eyes.

“Are you still angry with me about Graham?” Regina asked, noticing that Ruby wasn’t being her normal self.

“I’m not angry with you, I am disappointed in you, but I do love you and that’s not going to change,” Ruby replied, telling Regina how she felt.

“I’m sorry for my actions; I am trying to be better.  I love you with all my heart and I never want to lose you but if I screw up again I feel like I will,” Regina honestly responded, feeling a lump in her throat.

“Regina, you’re my true love and I am yours, you’re not going to lose me.  We both have plenty of blood on our hands.  If the curse does break I may start transforming back into the wolf and when that happens I don’t know if I’ll be able to control it, if I can’t people may die because of me.  Would you still be with me if I killed a bunch of people as the wolf?” Ruby asked, curious to hear what Regina had to say on the matter.

“I would stay by your side no matter what and help you work through it and hold you close and tell you how much  I love you and comfort you as best as I can,” Regina replied, hoping that the wolf would be nice once it’s released from the curse.

“And I’m going to stay by your side no matter what but I need you to promise me that you’re going to try your hardest to do what’s best and come to me when you have a problem,” Ruby responded, tilting Regina’s chin up, green eyes meeting brown.

“I promise you that,” Regina replied, licking her bottom lip, wanting to kiss the woman in front of her.

Smiling wickedly, Ruby picked Regina up in one swift move and sat the shorter woman on the dining room table.  Leaning in, her lips met Regina’s and she kissed her passionately, tongues fighting for dominance and their hands roamed all over each other’s bodies.

Trailing a line of kisses down the side of Regina’s neck, Ruby nibbled lightly at the tender flesh and heard Regina moan.  Unbuttoning the first few buttons on Regina’s blouse, Ruby trailed the kisses to the valley between Regina’s breasts, and up to her mouth where she felt toned legs wrap around her hips.

“Maybe we should take this up to the bedroom,” Regina suggested, feeling her face flush with arousal.

“We should, don’t want to scar Henry for life,” Ruby said, feeling Regina’s legs let go of her as she quickly done up the button’s on the shorter woman’s blouse.  “Speaking of Henry, his bedroom door just opened,” Ruby added, laughing at how fast Regina got off the table.

Starting to collect the dirty dishes from the table, Regina handed Ruby a pile and pointed to the sink.  “You can wash tonight,” she said, knowing that the doing the dishes was Ruby’s most hated task.

“Hey kiddo,” Ruby said, watching Henry enter the kitchen as she placed the dishes in the sink.

“Hey,” Henry replied, getting a bottle of water from the fridge and undoing the cap.

“What’s up?” Ruby asked, trying to get the boy to talk as she rinsed off the plates in front of her.

“Nothing much, I’m just doing my homework and planning out Christmas, the usual stuff,” Henry replied, taking a sip of water.

“We already have Christmas planned,” Regina responded, wondering what he wanted to change as she put the last of the dirty dishes by the sink.

“You have Christmas planned, I’m planning to spend Christmas with my real mum who loves me,” Henry calmly said, smiling at Regina.

“You can see her on Christmas day but you’re spending Christmas with us,” Regina sternly replied, putting a hand on her hip, feeling like she was being replaced.

“She’s my mother!  She gave birth to me, not you!” Henry responded, raising his voice.

“Henry, listen to me carefully, Emma may be your mother but Regina is your mum, they’re two totally different roles, your mum is the one who has taken care of you and loved you your entire life.  She’s kissed everything better and has spent countless nights wide awake endlessly worrying about you.  She’s supported you in everything you have wanted to do, cooked you your favourite meal every time you’ve asked, she’s been there for your first mouthful of food, first word, first time rolling onto your stomach, first crawl, first steps, first sports match, first everything.  She loves you so much it hurts and it absolutely kills me inside when you treat her with no respect at all which is how you currently are treating her.  It’s not nice.  Your mum may not make the best judgements at times but she’s human just like everyone else, she does what she thinks is in your best interests.  We all make mistakes and mistakes can be forgiven, especially if you love that person.  I love your mum with every ounce of my being and I can forgive her for things she’s done in the past, no matter how evil or bad people may think they are,” Ruby sternly sis, sick of how badly Henry was treating Regina.

“Do you really love my mum that much?” Henry asked Ruby, feeling bad for what he has said.

“Yes Henry, I do, if we go by the book of fairytales you have your mum is my one true love, just like Prince Charming and Snow White,” Ruby replied, smiling at the boy.

“Oh,” Henry replied, avoiding eye contact with the two adults. “I’m sorry Mum, I’m sorry Ruby,” he added, running out of the room and back into his bedroom.

“That was something at least,” Ruby said, walking over to Regina and pulling her into a hug.

“It definitely was, thank you,” Regina replied, closing her eyes and resting her head against Ruby’s shoulder.

“I’m going to be honest with you right now, I think that if we stop Henry from seeing Emma he’s just going to get worse with how he treats you, to him we’re stopping him getting to know the woman who gave birth to him so we’re the evil ones,” Ruby said, trying to verbalise how she thinks Henry views them.

“I just, I just can’t,” Regina replied, not wanting to say how she felt, thinking it was childish.

“Regina, you can tell me baby,” Ruby said, letting go of the dark haired woman and heading to the sitting room, closing the door behind them.  “What is it?”

“I just feel that with Miss Swan here I’ve lost my son.  It’s like Henry has replaced me with her, and he prefers her over me.  Every time I see them together I get really jealous, jealous because I’ve never been able to have a relationship with my son how she was one with him.  And now that he knows about the Enchanted Forest and all of our identities, when he finds out I’ve been lying to him his entire life about my past, I’m scared that he’s going to hate me forever and never speak to me again,” Regina admitted, wiping at the tears she refused to let fall.  She had done too much crying over the situation and she didn’t want to let any more tears fall if she could help it.

“Your feelings are valid my love, you have a right to feel that way.  Emma did bring him home which was the right thing to do but in the end she decided to stay and weasel her way into Henry’s life even though she is fully aware that it was a closed adoption meaning she has no right to see him and she did make that clear when she gave him away.  Henry can be a persuasive kid and yes, he does want her here but Emma should look at the bigger picture and how it’s going to effective his life in the long run,” Ruby said, trying to make Regina feel better.

“I think I may need to sit down with Miss Swan and go over some basic rules with her, like when he needs to be home by and that she just can’t pull him out of school to get ice cream, and other stuff.  I’ll keep it as civil as I can.  Do you think Henry will appreciate that?” Regina asked, wanting to do right by her son even if she despised their current situation.

“That sounds like a plan, Henry will appreciate the fact that you’re trying,” Ruby smiled, looking at Regina who was pacing around the room.

“I think I need some fresh air,” Regina said, taking a deep breath in and heading toward the door.

“How about we go sit in the backyard for a while, the breeze is nice, the sun has finally set for the day, and it usually always helps you clear your mind,” Ruby suggested, following Regina out of the small room.

Heading to the back door, they exited the house and Regina led them to her apple tree.  Sitting down on the soft grass Regina could feel the faint traces of magic which hung in the air around them.  Patting the spot next to her she looked up at Ruby and smiled, wanting the taller woman to join her.  “It’s so calming here,” Regina said, lying down so she could see the stars.

“It is,” Ruby agreed, lying closely next to Regina.

Wiggling over slightly Regina curled up next to Ruby and placed her head in the crook of the taller woman’s arm.  Looking up at the twinkling stars above them, Regina took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, enjoying the moment in front of her.


	17. Chapter 17

February 2012

Ruby could feel her boots sinking into the snow as she stormed towards Town Hall, aiming specifically for the office of one Regina Mills.  She had been doing her normal shift at the diner and everything was going as it usually did.  Taking a break she went outside and found Kathryn alive and well.  She was shocked but elated and then angry and mortified.  Ruby knew that Regina had something to do with Kathryn’s disappearance and she was going to find out why the hell her partner had lied to her and betrayed her.

Seeing the large beige building in the distance Ruby picked up her pace.  Tapping into her wolf speed she ran up to the front doors, pushing them open and heading straight into Regina’s office not bothering to knock at all.  She was fuming and Regina’s hot headedness was the least of her concerns.

“Regina Isabel Mills do not fuck with me, what did you do to Kathryn?” Ruby harshly yelled, glaring at the brown eyed woman who was sitting behind the desk in the room, not caring if anyone at the reception desk could hear her.

“Close the door,” Regina said, shocked that Ruby barged into her office and used her full name.

Closing the door, Ruby walked up to the desk and put both of her hands down on it, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow.  “What the hell did you do to Kathryn?  By the way she’s alive, I just found her behind the diner.  Explain yourself now or God forbid if you lie to me I will make you regret it.”

Looking into Ruby’s green eyes Regina knew that the taller woman wasn’t joking around.  She felt a lump form in her throat and her stomach turned into a knotted mess.  “I have no good reason,” she softly mumbled, watching Ruby’s eyebrow rise higher than it already was.

“Did you do this to get revenge on Snow and to split her and David up for good?  Or to keep Emma occupied so she couldn’t spend any time with Henry?”  Ruby asked, feeling it was either or both, her anger still simmering throughout her body.

Mumbling something incoherent as a reply, Regina looked down at her paperwork, not wanting to meet the eye of Ruby.

“Regina!  Answer me now!” Ruby demanded, clearing everything off the desk in one swift motion.

Never having seen Ruby like this before Regina gulped and couldn’t bring herself to look up.  She knew if she didn’t tell Ruby the truth she may not be able to say anything once the taller woman was done with her.  “I made a deal with Rumplestiltskin to have something tragic happen to Kathryn and all evidence was to lead to Mary Margaret so that her true love with David won’t weaken the curse anymore than it already has been, and locking her up is a sure fire way to keep them apart,” Regina replied, still looking down at her desk, feeling the weight of her guilt on her shoulders.

“And when exactly did you concoct up this idiotic plan, did you think you could hide it from me?” Ruby asked, noticing Regina trying to shrink into the chair.

“On the fifteenth when I found out that Gold had his memories back, it was in the heat of moment that I made a deal with him for something tragic to happen to Kathryn.  After I made the deal I regretted it but I didn’t want to show weakness in front of the dark one, the one who taught me magic,” Regina explained, picking at a scratch on her desk.

“And today is the twenty-first, you’ve been lying to me for six days, you’ve basically planned an entire abduction and framed an innocent person behind my back.  I have no words for how disappointed I am in you right now.  None, not a single one.  What you have done is beyond disgraceful and I am so angry at you right now I’m shaking with rage,” Ruby replied, wanting Regina to know exactly how she felt.  “Have you got anything else planned I don’t know about?”

“I’m sorry, and yes,” Regina responded, her voice quiet with no fight in it, knowing that she had to come clean with everything.

“Do you really mean that?  What else do you have planned?” Ruby questioned, noticing that Regina still hadn’t bothered to look at her.  “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re sorry and I might believe you.”

Gulping down the lump in her throat, Regina took a few seconds to gather herself before she looked up and into scathing green eyes.  “I’m sorry Ruby, I truly am, I’m sorry I gave in and let fear get a hold of me.  I’m sorry I wasn’t able to control my emotions.  I’m sorry for not standing up for myself, I shouldn’t have let wanting to prove myself to Rumple get in the way,” Regina apologised; now having the full force of her actions hit her.

“Thank you for apologising.  You’re not forgiven just yet but I do accept your apology.  How are you going to deal with this whole mess now that Kathryn is back?  Did you think of that?  What else do you have planned?”  Ruby asked, toning down the anger in her voice but curious as to what else her partner was going to do.

“I don’t know!  If I admit to it I’ll lose everything, I’ll lose my job, I’ll lose my son, I’ll lose you, and I’ll lose the respect of everyone.  I’m such an idiot,” Regina replied, realising just how stupid she had been.

“You won’t lose me but yes, you will lose everything, and you will go to jail for your actions, did none of this cross your mind?” Ruby asked, watching the distress and anguish cross Regina’s face.  “And I’m only going to ask one more time, what else do you have planned?”

“No, it didn’t, what am I meant to do now?  And I planned on asking Jefferson to open a portal back to our land so I can retrieve an apple and put Emma into a deep sleep for a few weeks so I can figure out how her being here is affecting the curse, I was going to put a natural awakening in it after three weeks,” Regina replied, feeling her heart beating rapidly.

“I don’t know what to do or say to that.  Even though I’m seriously pissed off at you right now we’ll figure something out tonight, and by the way, you’re sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight, consider it being in the dog house,” Ruby responded, straightening up.

“I’m sorry,” Regina apologised again, not realising that it would hurt so much to be told off by the woman she loves.

“I’m going to message Emma and ask if she can take Henry tonight while we figure out how to fix your fuck up,” Ruby replied, pulling out her phone and sending off the message.

“It’s my night for Henry,” Regina responded, not liking that plan at all.

“I’m aware but do you want him in a house where he will definitely hear yelling and the truth about Kathryn.  If he overhears anything he will tell Emma and then you’ll be locked up and you will never see him again,” Ruby stated, looking into brown eyes.

“No, I don’t want that,” Regina replied, exhaling loudly.

“Good, Emma messaged back too, she’s happy to take him again tonight,” Ruby informed the shorter woman, tilting her head to the side.

“We can go home now and figure something out if you like,” Regina suggested, not wanting to be at work anymore.

 “Oh no, you will stay here for the next two hours and finish up your day at your usual time and I’m going to go for a run to try and clear my head before I start screaming bloody murder at you again, and I think you need to have a long, hard think about your actions,” Ruby said, checking the clock on her phone.  “I’ll meet you at home at 4:15 p.m.”

“Okay,” Regina replied, watching Ruby leave the room.

Taking a deep breath in and slowing exhaling, Regina looked around her office, her eyes landing on the pile of paperwork that Ruby had thrown off her desk.  Pushing back from the table, Regina stood up and walked over to the mess and sat on the floor.  Picking the pages up, Regina sorted them by their reference number and placed them on her desk, the activity occupying her mind so she wouldn’t have to think about her actions.

Getting up off the floor after twenty minutes, Regina put the pile of papers back in the middle of desk and sat on her chair.  Mindlessly reading through them she placed them into piles of approved, to review, and disapproved.  Noticing that it was already somehow 4:00 p.m. she got up and collected her belongings.  Putting her blazer on she exited her office, locked the door, and walked to her car.

The drive to the house on Mifflin felt excruciatingly painful as she knew what was going to happen.  Regina had never seen Ruby as angry as she was today and it scared her; she was used to playful, loving Ruby, not pissed off and angry Ruby.

Pulling into the driveway, Regina parked her car and took the keys out of the ignition.  Getting out of the car, she took a deep breath in and headed for the front door, entering the house.

“Right on time,” Ruby said, sitting on the third step of the staircase, a stern look on her face.

“I did try,” Regina replied, looking at the taller woman.

“To get straight down to it without beating around the bush, yes, I am still angry at you for lying to me and seeking revenge on Mary Margaret by using an innocent woman as a pawn in you stupid little game.  But, I have calmed down a lot and I have had a long and hard think about what do to and I do agree that we can’t have you confessing to the abduction of Kathryn and framing of Mary Margaret.  It’ll mess up the town and with the curse in place, if you’re not here and something goes wrong we may have a full blown crisis and I believe that you’d be the only person who would know how to attempt to at least fix it.  And with Rumplestiltskin with his memories back, we need someone who would be able to stand up to him which you will learn how to do,” Ruby explained, looking at Regina to see what she had to say.

“While I was cleaning up my office a thought on how to get away with it did occur to me but it’s not very pleasant and I know you don’t like unpleasantness,” Regina said, processing what Ruby had said and joining it up with what she had come up with.

“What kind of plan did you come up with?” Ruby asked, standing up and going into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

Sitting on the couch facing Ruby, Regina took a deep breath in and looked at Ruby, trying to read what mood her partner was in.  “My plan of sorts was to get Sidney to confess to kidnapping Kathryn and the framing of Snow White.  I have managed to brew a potion that will wipe the last week of his memories and once he takes it we have twenty minutes to tell him what has happened and convince him they he did it, it’s like hypnosis.  I know it is wrong and a bad idea but it’s all we’ve got, I couldn’t think of anything else,” Regina replied, knowing that Ruby would hate it.

“I do think that might actually be the best option we’ve got.  We can’t have him go to Emma and confess though, that would be too suss,” Ruby responded, not believing that she was agreeing with framing Sidney, even if she did think he deserved it deep down, making her feel like a hypocrite.

“I’ll call Myrtle now and ask her to move Sidney to a normal psychiatric room,” Regina said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and calling the nurse.

_“Hello Madam Mayor, how can I help you?”_

“Hi Myrtle, can you please move Sidney to a normal psychiatric room and have him lucid, I’ll be there in half an hour,” Regina said, cutting right to the point.

_“Will do, I’ll see you soon.”_

Hanging up the phone, Regina placed the device on the coffee table.  “The potion that we need for this is in my vault, care for a drive?”

“I think a drive would be nice,” Ruby replied, getting up and heading outside, the shorter woman in tow.

Getting into the car, they drove to the cemetery and parked on the side of the road.  Getting out of the vehicle Regina led the way to the vault and opened the door, letting them both inside.  Heading over to the far wall, Regina placed her hand against the brick and the wall vanished, revealing a room behind it.

Following Regina into the room, Ruby waited until the wall had reappeared and light filled the room before she moved from her spot.  “Regina, why didn’t you tell me about the deal you made with Gold?” she asked, her voice showing no trace of emotion.

“I was scared that you would leave me and that Gold might come for you and hurt you, and if he hurt you I’d never forgive myself,” Regina replied, looking into bright green eyes.

“Regina, I’m not going to leave you, I love you, even when I’m angry at you, I still love you, but I need you to be totally honest with me from now on, can you do that?” Ruby responded, taking a step closer to Regina.

“I’ll try my best, I’m not perfect nor will I pretend to be.  I can give you my love and promise you I’ll do my best.  If I do screw up again you’ll be the first person I go to,” Regina said, reaching out and taking Ruby’s hand.  “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Ruby replied, giving Regina’s hand a quick squeeze.  “Now where’s that potion?”

“It’s in the vial rack,” Regina responded, walking over to the long table against the left side of the room and pulling out a box that held the vials she had been working on before retrieving the correct potion.

“Let’s go and get this over with,” Ruby said, watching Regina nod in agreement.

Exiting the vault, Regina locked the massive brass door before they headed towards the car.  They drove to the hospital in silence, the radio softly playing love songs as their thoughts ran over the events of the day.  Parking the car, they locked up the vehicle and waited anxiously for the elevator to arrive to take them down to the underground levels of the building.


End file.
